Davis praise for Keith Hill as he works within the constraints of a tight budget

From his own experience following a promotion from League Two, manager Steve Davis believes it will take Rochdale a little time to adjust to life at a higher level. Rochdale secured a third ever promotion last season after finishing in third spot behind Chesterfield and Scunthorpe United, but the club lost their leading scorer Scott Hogan to Brentford in the summer.

Steve has praised the job Keith Hill has achieved on his return to Spotland after he was unfortunate to lose his lose his job at Barnsley.

Ahead of our meeting at Gresty Road, Steve told crewealex.net: “It won’t be easy for Rochdale because they are on a par with us when it comes to finances.

“Unlike the other teams that won promotion they can’t go out and strengthen like Fleetwood and Chesterfield can. Those two have a bit of money behind them. Keith has done a great job going back there and he will be doing a bit of a juggling act there. They had a couple of injuries on Saturday that hasn’t helped him but Keith is experienced and his players will learn more as they go along.

“It is difficult, as we have found since coming up. Our performances have been okay so far but we have had nothing to show for them. We will be looking to get those first points on the board as soon as possible and build on that.

“All we are doing is focussing on our next game and working hard to make sure we get something from it. “