If this game is as good as the one on Boxing Day last year then we should be in for a treat.  We were the victors then in a 4-1 thriller, for us at least, that was also the start of our best sequence of last season.

In three games we hit the back of the net eleven times with only two being let in at the other end.  'Dale were followed by that famous 3-0 victory against Hull City midway through Christmas week and then another 4-1 at Torquay in the first week of the New Year.

It all went pear shaped three days after though when we saw yet another 4-1.  This time it was against us as we were hammered by 'Fluton Town' in a game that Stuart Brock would rather forget. Rochdale arrive here following a mixed bag of results but still see's them lying in second place in the league.  They had a cracking win at home to Cambridge on Tuesday night when they came back from 3-1 down to grab a 4-3 win with two goals in the final two minutes.  The previous Saturday they were held at home in a 1-1 with Shrewsbury.

Ex Wolves man, Paul Simpson, is now the player/manager at Spotland and he hasn't lost his touch banging the goals in.  Seven goals in nine games isn't a bad hit rate for an old man.

Simpson is expected to name an unchanged side from the one that played midweek, so that will mean no place in the starting eleven for Kevin Townson or Lee McEvilly.  The only injury doubt is Richard Jobson who received a cut above his eye during the game against Cambridge for which he had hospital treatment.

According to Simpson on the Official Rochdale website he feels that his side are susceptible to pace, as they found out against Cambridge, but he feels that will be no problem with the Harriers because we haven't got any.  He obviously hasn't seen Melligan and Foster in action!


We are in the middle of a plague at Aggborough with players dropping like flies and red crosses being painted on doors. At the last count Scott Stamps, Andy Ducros and Ian Britton were the worst affected but I've been told there are more we don't know about.  Most of the players have been afflicted in some way.

Britt had banned training until today and the squad to avoid each other 'like the plague' in an effort to minimise the outbreak.  If I was Rochdale I'd stay away from the place.

After brilliant performances at Scunthorpe and Southend we now have a chance to improve on that by beating Rochdale.  That's another reason why Dale should keep away from Aggborough.

We shall be without Abdou Sall again although he has now resumed training.  Adie Smith is still out with his hamstring problem but Sean Parrish has recovered from his enough to be included in the squad again.

Dean Bennett, who was on the bench on Tuesday, is expected to start tomorrow now that he has fully recovered from his foot injury.

All the ones with minor injuries will be playing.  These are Bo Henriksen, Danny Williams, Lee Ayres and John Melligan who had a slight knee ligament injury at Southend.

The game tomorrow will be the first chance many of us had to see Mark Clyde and John Melligan in action.  According to reports from those who went to Southend they give the Harriers a new dimension and if we hope to progress this season then these two need to be taken on a longer loan as we did with Colin Larkin last season.  I'm sure Dave Jones would be agreeable.

Teams

Harriers from:
Brock, Danby, Joy, Stamps, Clyde, Melligan, Ayres, Hinton, Williams, Parrish, Flynn, Bennett, Shilton, Ducros, Doyle, Foster, Broughton, Henriksen, Lower, Khela, Lewis.

Rochdale from:
Edwards, Gilkes, Baker, Evans, Griffiths, Macauley, Doughty, Duffy, Hill, Jobson, Grand, Flitcroft, Beech, Oliver, Hodges, Simpson, Durkan, McCourt, McEvilly, Townson, Platt.