Struggling Rochdale go toe to toe with mid-table Stockport County this weekend, looking to challenge their Lancastrian rivals at Spotland Stadium.
Rochdale sit in 21st place, having lost 13 games this season, losing all of their last three matches. Stockport, on the other hand, have meandered their way to 12th place, no doubt proud of having won three of their last five league games.
Match preview
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Panic has yet to subside for Rochdale supporters, nor has it for their manager Jim Bentley this season.
Having replaced Robbie Stockdale after four consecutive matches at the start of the season, Bentley has seen his side take just 15 points this campaign, losing eight of his 15 league matches at the helm.
Last week showed no great sign of staving off their relegation worries, with the Dale being at the wrong end of a second-half beating by Harrogate Town. Despite equalling Harrogate in terms of shots on target, their profligacy turned to defeat with a second half surge from Harrogate striker Luke Armstrong.
Having taken the lead at the start of the match thanks to James Ball's flick-on from a near-post corner, Harrogate took just seven minutes to respond with a 20-yard daisy-cutter from midfielder George Thomson.
The subsequent second-half collapse was emblematic of the struggle Bentley faces at the Lancaster club, with many fans seeing the eventual 4-1 home defeat to a fellow struggling team as an indictment of the Dale's lack of confidence this season.
There is no rest for the wicked at Rochdale, with their opponents proving their worth in the last fortnight in fine fashion and looking to capitalise on their rush of blood this weekend.
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After holding League One's Charlton Athletic to a 2-2 draw away from home, the Hatters triumphed in midweek with a 3-1 win and a place in the prestigious third round in the New Year.
Though Charlton took the lead thanks to an unfortunate own goal from Akil Wright, midfielder Will Collar stunned the Reds with a hat-trick to win the game for Stockport.
Collar may have counted himself lucky to poke in the rebound to equalise, but the same cannot be said for his second - a first-time low finish from the edge of the box, the product of excellent movement, that sent the Hatters' fans into ecstasy behind the goal.
Collar's third, a precise penalty stuck in the bottom left of Craig MacGillivray's goal, confirmed their place in the third round of the cup.
Stockport's fantastic cup victory followed their 5-0 hammering of bottom-of-the-table Hartlepool, when a brace from Kyle Wootton in the first 20 minutes set the tone of the match early on, the first coming from a horrendous back-pass, the second just three minutes later from an incisive pass by Collar.
Hartlepool's defending was exposed by the aggression of Stockport's attack, with the aforementioned Collar and Wootton alongside Paddy Madden and Callum Camps in terrorising the Pools' backline.
With confidence high from a side that has scored 17 in their last six matches, Stockport look set to take the game in powerful fashion to their North-West rivals.
Team News
After struggling with an ankle injury for the last few weeks, manager Bentley may recall defender Aidan White to the starting lineup this Saturday. The left-back has struggled for fitness since November, but the need for defensive solidity may see the former Leeds man's return brought forward.
Striker Tahvon Campbell remains out due to a foot injury for the Dale, alongside midfield teammate Liam Kelly, after both missed last week's defeat to Harrogate.
On Stockport's end of things, Liverpool loanee goalkeeper Vit Jaros will miss the weekend with an ankle problem, while Joe Lewis, Chris Hussey and Antoni Sarcevic add to the Hatters' injury concerns, with them all remaining out of contention for the weekend.
In better news, right wing-back Macauley Southam-Hales is in good health after a concerning incident in Wednesday's second round replay, with the doctors giving the 26-year-old the all-clear to the player soon after.
Southam-Hales collided with the advertising hoardings against Charlton on Wednesday in scenes mirroring Bath City's Alex Fletcher's horrific injury last month, but a CT scan has thankfully confirmed that the Stockport defender has not suffered any neck or cranial trauma.
On Wednesday, the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) demanded a full review of safety rules regarding the nature and positioning of advertising hoardings in light of recent events, stating that 'proper consideration' needed to take place to ensure player safety is protected.
Manager Dave Challinor voiced serious concerns after the match, stating Southam-Hales was "probably an inch away from potentially a fractured skull", and has criticised referee Scott Oldham for not sending off Charlton's George Dobson for his involvement in the collision.
Rochdale possible starting lineup:
O'Donnell; White, Graham, Ebanks-Landell, John; Brierley, Diagouraga; Henderson, Ball, Odoh; Quigley
Stockport County possible starting lineup:
Hinchliffe; Wright, Horsfall, Johnson; Crankshaw, Collar, Croasdale, Hippolyte, Rydel; Wootton, Madden
We say: Rochdale 0-3 Stockport County
When it rains, it pours, and it is difficult to see how Rochdale can overcome the high-flying Stockport, even on home turf this Saturday.
Stockport will be looking to bombard the Rochdale box, with Madden and Wootton hoping to overload the Dale's defenders with their physical presence. Collar may be a strong contender to score for the third successive game from midfield.
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