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Dale jockey for position

15/ 4/2008

ROCHDALE were six points from cementing a place in the League Two play-offs ahead of last night’s match against Barnet at Spotland.

Manager Keith Hill, speaking ahead of Tuesday’s home game, said two more wins would be enough to secure a top-seven finish.

"We have got to cement and galvanise our position within the play off’s – two wins will do it, but looking back I thought that 71 points would have been good enough," said the Dale chief, whose team stood sixth on 72 points going into the midweek fixture. No one knows for certain how many points it will take and Chesterfield have got three games left. They have got some catching up to do, but they are more than capable of doing so. We have got to take care of our own house and can’t be looking at what other teams might or might not do. It is not about what we have done. We have created this chance but it is about what we need to do."

Dale took another step towards their goal with an away draw at Dagenham and Redbridge on Saturday. Hill felt it was a point gained on a difficult surface.

"I thought it was definitely one point won as we weren’t at our best on the day and we allowed the game to become too much of a battle. We do have battling qualities and we always have to give 100 per cent effort but I felt we allowed the game to be dictated too much by what Dagenham wanted. They are a worthy team when it comes to battling but with a little bit more thought and composure we could have played more football and perhaps gone on to win the game. You cannot win every game, we know that, but I expect a little more in terms of creativity. We were not disappointed with the point and it does take us a step closer to where we want to be and that has always been competing in the top seven."

The dates for the play-off semi-finals have been released with the fourth-placed team playing away at the side finishing seventh on Saturday 10 May. The following day, Sunday 11 May, the sixth-placed club will host fifth-placed.

Both games will have early evening kick off times.

The second legs take place the following weekend, with both matches on Saturday 17 May. Fourth will host seventh in a lunchtime kick off while in the early evening game, fifth entertain sixth.

The play-off final itself takes place on Bank Holiday Monday, 26 May.