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Darlington next on Hill hit-list

12/ 4/2008

FIVE wins on the bounce and Dale eyes are suddenly being cast towards that third automatic promotion spot.

Beyond Rochdale? Don’t bank on it. With a handful of games remaining the likes of Stockport, Hereford and Darlington above them all have tough fixtures ahead and today’s round of results could make interesting reading come 5pm.

Four of the top five teams are all in action against each other with Darlington at home to Hereford and Stockport away at Peterborough.

Dale boss Keith Hill is not getting carried away with talk of a top-three finish – he wants to strengthen Dale’s position among the play-off pack with victory at Dagenham and Redbridge this afternoon.

"We must cement our place in the play-offs first and foremost," he said. "We will look at the teams above us and try to catch them, Darlington being our next target as they are the side above us in fifth place.

"Anything is possible and there is a lot of football left to play. But we’ve got to make headway in the play-off positions. We have won 21 games so far and we’re well on the way to achieving what we set out to do at the start of the season. I’ve said all along that whatever happens between now and the end of the season, this squad will be better equipped for next season.

"I don’t say these things for the sake of it, I say it because we think very carefully about what we are planning for, and fortunately we are in a position to achieve success and we are focused on achieving that.

"The spirit among the players is absolutely buzzing right now and every game is a challenge. The nature of football means you can be on top of the world one minute and below the surface the next. But we’ve had the same good feeling all season and we go to Dagenham and Redbridge full of belief and confidence."

Striker Lee Thorpe misses out today, but otherwise Hill has a full squad to select from.

Rory McArdle and Nathan Stanton are set to return to the starting line-up after being caught up in traffic and missing Tuesday’s kick off.

The next home game for Dale comes on Tuesday with the re-arranged match against Barnet, kick off 7.45pm.