Take a look at the potential threats in the ranks of Saturday's hosts, Rochdale A.F.C. Steve Davies - Striker Born in Liverpool, it was at Tranmere Rovers where the striker made the first steps in his footballing career, linking up with the youth setup at Prenton Park and progressing to make his Football League debut in August 2005 at just seventeen years old. After making over sixty appearances for Tranmere, the striker joined Derby in 2008. Davies made his debut for Derby against Doncaster Rovers in August 2008 and scored his first goal for the club the following month against Birmingham City. His time at Derby was disrupted by injury and fitness problems, which saw the forward only made two appearances between August 2009 and January 2010. In the build-up to the 2010/11 season, the striker damaged his cruciate ligaments in training and was ruled out for a number of months. The striker enjoyed his best run of form at Derby during the 2011/12 campaign, where the striker found net twelve times over the course of the season. In August 2012 the striker moved to Bristol City and continued to score at an impressive rate, registering thirteen goals during his season-long stay, with Blackpool signing the striker in July 2013. After scoring on his debut for Blackpool in the opening fixture of the season, Davies only found the net on two further occasions for the club during the 2013/14 season but remained at Blackpool for the 2014/15 season, spending a brief spell on loan at Sheffield United. The striker transferred to Bradford in June 2015 following his expiry of his contract at Blackpool and in August 2016 the striker moved to Rochdale on a one-year deal and made his debut in their fixture against MK Dons, with the striker netting his first goal for Rochdale a month later at in a home fixture against Fleetwood Town. In November the forward seemed to go through a rich vein of form, bagging three consecutive braces in victories over Maidstone, Walsall and Swindon, with his goal tally currently standing at eleven in all competitions, with ten of those goals coming at home. Ian Henderson - Forward/Midfield The useful versatile forward is hugely experienced in the EFL, with the thirty-two-year-old making over four-hundred appearances. Beginning his career with Norwich City, the midfielder made over eighty-first team appearances for the Canaries, before joining Northampton Town in July 2007. During his eighteen month spell at Northampton, the forward found first-team opportunities limited, which saw the majority of his appearances for the club come off the bench. Luton was the next destination for Henderson in January 2011, where he made eighteen appearances up until the end of the season, but his contract wasn't extended at Kenilworth Road. Ahead of the 2009–10 season, Henderson joined Turkish Süper Lig side Ankaragücü on a two-year deal, but the forward's stay at the club only lasted six months, as he joined Colchester United in January 2010. The forward joined Rochdale on a free transfer in February 2013 and has since progressed to make over one-hundred-and-fifty appearances, with the impressive goal tally of fifty-four goals so far during his time at Rochdale. This campaign the forward has netted on twelve occasions, scoring six goals in four appearances between December and January. Matthew Lund - Midfield The midfielder will be a familiar face to Rovers fans, who will recall the midfielder spending two spells on loan at the Mem. Starting out Stoke academy, the midfielder spent time the majority of his time with the Potters playing in the reserve side but did make the bench for a Premier League fixture against Burnley in February 2010. The midfield experienced his first loan spell at Hereford United, where he made his professional debut in an FA Cup encounter against Lincoln in November 2010. A brief spell at Oldham in November 2011 saw the midfielder make just three appearances before he first joined Rovers on loan in January 2012, making thirteen appearances during his first loan spell at the Mem. Following his successful loan spell with Rovers, Stoke allowed the midfielder to return to the club on loan in the July 2012, with Lund making a further eighteen appearances for Rovers before joining Southend on loan in February 2013. Following his release from Stoke, the midfielder joined Rochdale in June 2013 and to date has made just over one-hundred appearances for the club. Lund made his debut for Northern Ireland last year, playing forty-five minutes in a friendly defeat to Croatia at Windsor Park back in November. This season the midfielder has been a regular feature for Rochdale, scoring seven goals in just under thirty appearances, which include a hat-trick against Northampton in mid-December.
Rovers travel to Rochdale this Saturday in SkyBet League One. Team News: Rovers are without defender Peter Hartley, who remains sidelined with a long-term injury. Darrell's View: "We are in a fantastic position and we want to finish the final seventeen games of this season as high up the league as possible and to see where that takes us. "I'm working with a fantastic group of players, who have a fantastic team spirit, and we will be working hard to get a win against Rochdale." Opposition: Rochdale currently occupy sixth place in SkyBet League One, but head into Saturday's fixture following three consecutive defeats, which saw them exit the Emirates FA Cup at the hands of high-flying Huddersfield. Dangerman - Ian Henderson: The useful versatile forward is hugely experienced in the EFL, with the thirty-two-year-old making over four-hundred appearances. Beginning his career with Norwich City, the midfielder made over eighty-first team appearances for the Canaries, before joining Northampton Town in July 2007. During his eighteen month spell at Northampton, the forward found first-team opportunities limited, which saw the majority of his appearances for the club come off the bench. Luton was the next destination for Henderson in January 2011, where he made eighteen appearances up until the end of the season, but his contract wasn't extended at Kenilworth Road. Ahead of the 2009–10 season, Henderson joined Turkish Süper Lig side Ankaragücü on a two-year deal, but the forward's stay at the club only lasted six months, as he joined Colchester United in January 2010. The forward joined Rochdale on a free transfer in February 2013 and has since progressed to make over one-hundred-and-fifty appearances, with the impressive goal tally of fifty-four goals so far during his time at Rochdale. This campaign the forward has netted on twelve occasions, scoring six goals in four appearances between December and January. Last Time Out: The sides drew 2-2 at the Mem back in September. Ian Henderson and Callum Camps were on the scoresheet for Rochdale, as the visitors were reduced to ten men in the final quarter of the game. The point saw Rovers climb to 19th in the table, while Rochdale remained bottom of the table. Tickets: Supporters will be able to purchase tickets on the day at the ground. For full ticket prices for the fixture, please click HERE. Betting: League sponsors SkyBet are offering odds of 21/10 for a Rovers victory and a draw priced at 5/2. Ellis Harrison is priced at 11/2 to be the first goal scorer. Keeping Up With The Game: Full match commentary of Rovers game with Rochdale can be heard through Gas PlayerHD. Supporters can access our LIVE match coverage by clicking here. Alternatively, stay tuned to the club’s social media outlets. Bristol Rovers found on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your match day fix and make sure you use #BristolRovers!
Let's face it the run of away defeats has to end at some point. Our record at Rochdale is pitiful but Lee Brown and Ollie Clarke are the only survivors from starting XI on our last visit.
1 striker on the bench. We know Easter wont be selected. But no Lucas?? I guess Bodin could move up front too so may not be an issue. Our latest signing hasnt made the squad (Harris). please log in to view this image
Pitch not in a good state. They play rugby on it too. Gaffney should have started today instead of Harrison. Cant really play good football on this pitch so the long ball tactic here and there would be the best tactic me thinks and Gaffney would be better at that in my view. You will need a good 1st touch on this pitch as well which Harrison dont have.
