Town come into this tie against Rochdale on the back of a memorable 4-0 away victory at Doncaster Rovers at the weekend, where four different goal scorers got themselves on the score sheet.
Ched Evans, James Wallace, Ash Eastham and Ash Hunter all found the back of the net at the Keepmoat Stadium, and with that result comes two home games on the bounce, with Rochdale their opponents on Tuesday.
Ash Eastham spoke after Saturday’s 4-0 win at Doncaster, and knows the importance of keeping momentum going in the club’s next two matches.
Vice-captain Ash Eastham said…
“Tuesday is important for us. We want to keep the momentum going and keep the feel good factor in the camp. We have two home games this week that we want to go and win.
“The changing room was pleased after the game because we knew we’ve been close to a win over the last few weeks, where we’ve let leads slip.
“We like to think that when we get ahead, we have the defensive spine of the team to look after the results, but against Doncaster we were fantastic throughout. We recover now, and look to the next match.
“There’s no individuals in this team, we’re all there for each other and we’re one unit which moves forward together.”
Rochdale manager Keith Hill said…
“I’ve put the challenge down to those younger players, and it’s up to them to rise to the challenge to take us as far in the competition as they possibly can.
“I’ve got a team in mind that will play and it’ll reflect a certain age and a certain energy to go to Fleetwood. There’ll be no fear, and it’s a great opportunity for the younger players to take up that challenge, led by one or two of the older players.
“Kgosi [Ntlhe] has got to take charge of looking after the young players like he did against Oldham Athletic, and we’ll go there with a similar sort of side to the Oldham and Bury games, with respect to the players availability, and there’s one or two players who need game time.”
Last five results in all competitions (from the left):
Fleetwood Town: W D L L D
Rochdale: D D L L W
We’ve Met Before
The two sides have met 13 times in the Football League, with their first meeting being plated in the Johnstone Paint Trophy competition. Their first in the league was back in October 2012 and saw both take a point in a goalless game at Spotland.
Town’s first win against the side from Greater Manchester came in December 2013 at Rochdale, and it was Antoni Sarcevic’s penalty that opening the scoring before Scott Hogan levelled five minutes before the half-time break. Mark Roberts got Town’s second of the game giving the red and whites the win.
Both met in the league earlier in the season, with the game finishing 2-2 at Highbury Stadium. With Town leading 2-1 in injury time thanks to goals from Paddy Madden and Ched Evans, it was Ian Henderson’s late strike that shared the points.
One to Watch
Rochdale’s one to watch is striker Ian Henderson. As stated above, Henderson scored twice at Highbury in third round of fixtures in League One and has now got six goals to his name for the season.
The 33-year-old scored a hat-trick against Gillingham in their match in mid-September, and notched one in his side’s 4-1 defeat at home to Peterborough.
Henderson started off his career at Norwich back in 2001 and spent six years at the club, with a loan move to Rotherham United at the back end of the 2006/07 season. With a free transfer to Northampton, and Luton Town only years later, it was at Colchester where the Englishman found his form.
With 26 goals in 90 appearances, Rochdale signed the frontman on a free contract in July 2013, and both Henderson and Rochdale haven’t looked back.
Betting Preview
Joey Barton’s Fleetwood Town go into Tuesday’s match favourites, with a win priced at 7/5.
Rochdale won their first match against Bury 2-1, and for them to pick up another three points is priced at 13/8. A draw – which means the game will go to penalties to see who earns the extra point, is currently at 21/10.
For Fleetwood to win 3-0 against Keith Hill’s side, the odds are 20/1, with another 4-0 victory at 40/1.
For more betting odds please visit SkyBet – Please bet and gamble responsibly.