Lund Out Of Dale Trip

Lund celebrating his goal against Torquay United

Versatile Matt Lund will sit out Saturday's trip to Rochdale as he serves a one-match ban after accumulating 5 yellow cards this season. The Stoke City loanee has filled in at right back to cover the injuries Danny Woodards and Michael Smith have suffered this season and has impressed in his new role. The two he was deputising for are close to returning and, somewhat cruelly, one of them will take his place as he assumes his suspension this weekend.

Smith is the likelier of the two to start the game and aside from that there is unlikely to be any changes to the team that defeated Chesterfield at the Mem. Mark McGhee has been considering whether Derek Riordan and Fabian Broghammer can play in the same team as they both want to play on the left of our attack. Whilst Riordan is an established goalscorer and experienced head he has yet to reach the heights we all expected upon his signing, whereas Broghammer has performed admirably in his first year outside of Germany. It does however seem as though McGhee will retain faith in both players by keeping Fab on the right and Deeks on the left up at Spotland.

Next week both Cian Bolger and Matt Gill should return to full training following long-term injury lay-offs and that will provide a timely boost to the rest of the team. There will be competition for every position which will ensure nobody rests of their laurels as we approach the winter period.

Rochdale sit in a play-off position and have enjoyed a decent season so far under manager John Coleman. They'll be looking to improve their home form with a victory over Rovers but we'll have our own ambitions of getting 3 points on the back of last weekend's result. We'll need to perform better in defence and create plenty more opportunities than we did against the Spireites if we're to win but there's no reason why that can't be the case if we show the same dogged spirit.

Up the Gas!