And so to Northampton.
Date: Saturday 17th September
Kick-off: 3.00pm
Venue: Sixfields
THE DALE:
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You only have to look back on our last two visits to Northampton to see how much life as a Dale supporter has changed in the last two years.
In February 2021, we travelled to Sixfields on a Tuesday night to play out a desperate 0-0 draw behind closed doors in horrendous conditions. The swirling wind made it almost impossible for either side to play any meaningful football and two teams in dire need of points in their respective fights to remain in League One looked doomed for the drop come full-time, with supporters watching on at home in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic.
But, hope springs eternal, and by the time we returned six months later, things were looking a little rosier. In fact, Dale fans were in a buoyant mood has they hurtled down the M6 in August of 2021 for one of their first away matches back in stadiums, with news filtering through that morning that Morton House were withdrawing from their self-styled hostile takeover attempt.
Of course, the story didn't quite end there with Morton House, but in what would be one of the highlights of Robbie Stockdale's sorry time in charge, Dale ran out 1-3 victors in that game to give the then-manager his first competitive victory in charge of the club.
Fast forward another 13 months, and we head to Sixfields with another new manager looking for his first win, but again we can head down in high spirits due to off-field matters at least. With the news that the Dale Trust's fundraising goals had finally been achieved to fund the fees required to fight off legal action from Morton House, the monkey is finally of our backs and we can turn attention to matters on the pitch.
Matters on the pitch... where to start? Dale currently sit rooted to the bottom of the League Two table, yet to pick up a victory in the league and having missed an injury-time penalty in midweek to steal an admittedly undeserved point from league leaders Leyton Orient.
A win is needed from somewhere, but where does it come from? In his first home game, Jim Bentley opted to restore Ian Henderson to the starting line-up, but with limited impact. Perhaps here, he'll be moved back to the bench, allowing Devante Rodney and Scott Quigley to resume the partnership that caused Carlisle all kinds of problems a fortnight ago.
Elsewhere, there are further selection issues. Femi Seriki was left out of the side in favour of Jimmy Keohane at right-back in midweek, but Dale are short on numbers in defence with Ethan Ebanks-Landell, Cameron John and Max Taylor all out injured. Ben Nelson may feature instead of Jim McNulty or Sam Graham should none of the aforementioned trio yet be fit to start.
Midfield is another question that needs answering, as the combination of Toumani Diagouraga and James Ball did little to inspire against Orient in midweek. With the creativity and raw talent of Connor Malley and Ethan Brierley waiting in the wings, could a change be on the cards in the middle too?
Out wide, Abraham Odoh will perhaps expect to start again, with Tyrese Sinclair hoping for more minutes following another bright cameo on Tuesday night and Tahvon Campbell has now returned to the fold as another attacking option.
There are some, if not many options for Bentley to tinker with in this squad, but Northampton will prove to be another tough task. An unexpected victory at Sixfields just over a year ago proved to be something of a false dawn, but with attention now fixed firmly on how he can guide this team away from the serious threat of relegation that already hangs over it, what can the new man conjure up?
THE OPPOSITION:
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Northampton Town were desperately unlucky not to return to League One at the first time of asking last season, being pipped to a top three spot in dramatic circumstances by Bristol Rovers on the final day of the season.
The Gas famously overturned a huge goal difference deficit by hammering already-relegated Scunthorpe United 7-0 at the Memorial Stadium, leaving the Cobblers stranded in the play-offs, where they eventually lost out to Mansfield Town in the semi-finals.
Jon Brady, who was appointed as the club's manager during the 2020/2021 campaign in which they suffered relegation from League One alongside Dale, has set his sights on overcoming that heartbreak this season with some strong additions to an already solid League Two squad.
Although the loss of Liam Roberts to Middlesbrough and Fraser Horsfall to Stockport will have been felt, the likes of Danny Hylton and Lee Burge have arrived, bringing with them a wealth of League Two experience, alongside former Spotland loanee Tyler Magloire, who has already found the net twice in this campaign after making his loan deal from last season permanent.
As things stand, a promotion push is very much on the cards for the Australian boss and his team despite there being some deficiencies in the set-up so far. The main cause for concern is in defence - the Cobblers have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their eight matches thus far.
However, that hasn't prevented Town from picking up a total of 17 points, leaving them just a point behind the final automatic spot as things stand. What's more, they'll come into this match in high spirits having bounced back from their first defeat of the campaign to Doncaster by starting September with back-to-back wins past Barrow and AFC Wimbledon.
Can Dale extend their hoodoo over the Cobblers, or will the Brady bunch ensure their superior quality wins out this time around?
BETTING ODDS:
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NORTHAMPTON: 8/11
DRAW: 12/5
ROCHDALE: 19/5
FORM BOOK:
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Northampton Town:
Crewe Alexandra 2-2 Northampton Town - League Two
Northampton Town 0-1 Doncaster Rovers - League Two
Ipswich Town 6-0 Northampton Town - EFL Trophy
Northampton Town 3-1 Barrow - League Two
AFC Wimbledon 0-2 Northampton Town - EFL Trophy
Rochdale:
Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 Rochdale - EFL Cup
Rochdale 1-1 Crawley Town - League Two
Accrington Stanley (p) 3-3 Rochdale - EFL Trophy
Carlisle United 3-3 Rochdale - League Two
Rochdale 0-1 Leyton Orient - League Two
HEAD TO HEAD:
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Dale have had the better of the meetings between these two teams, going 12 games unbeaten against the Cobblers in a run stretching back to February 2013.
Perhaps surprisingly given the finishing positions of both teams, Dale also ran out winners in both of last year's meetings with Tahvon Campbell scoring the only goal in February's Spotland clash.
GAMES - 67
NORTHAMPTON - 20
DRAWS - 24
ROCHDALE - 23
3rd February 2018 - Northampton Town 0-1 Rochdale - League One
24th November 2020 - Rochdale 1-1 Northampton Town - League One
23rd February 2021 - Northampton Town 0-0 Rochdale - League One
21st August 2021 - Northampton Town 1-3 Rochdale - League Two
26th February 2022 - Rochdale 1-0 Northampton - League Two