This weekend, we welcome promotion chasing Rochdale to Rivacre Road. Two weeks ago, like ourselves, the weather intervened, and Rochdale were prevented from attempting the double against Aspatria, as were we, at Leigh. Last Saturday, we lost the re-arranged game at Leigh and Rochdale accounted for the travelling Cumbrians.
Rochdale are currently second to Manchester, having won sixteen of their nineteen games thus far. They had a flying start to the season, winning their first twelve games in the newly constituted North Two West, and only conceded their first point in the 9-9 draw in the last match of 2019 against Glossop.
However, they lost two of their first three games of 2020, at table-topping Manchester, 30-10, and, a fortnight later, at Southport, 32-24.
They remain undefeated at home and can count Anselmians amongst their victims. We travelled to Moorgate Avenue in October and were well beaten 30-18.
Rochdale play an attractive, open game and, with confidence restored after the morale boosting victory over Glossop, Saints expect a lively, free-flowing game and hope that they can avenge that reverse last autumn. Tactics will have to be explicit and fluid as we realised, too late, at Leigh last week.