Dale are in FA Cup action on Saturday when they travel down to Tamworth for a first round tie against the Dr Martens side.
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Although a weakened side did crash 1-4 at home to Bedford on the Dr Martens League Cup on Tuesday.
Tamworth Preview - FA Cup 1st Round
By Alan Hall
Updated Friday, 16th November 2001
Although a weakened side did crash 1-4 at home to Bedford on the Dr Martens League Cup on Tuesday.
The game should be a sell out by kick off time with very few tickets remaining at the time of going to press so the occasion shouldn't lack for atmosphere.
Caretaker manager David Hamilton will be forced into making at least one change from the team that won so well at Bristol last week.
Marcus Hahnemann's loan period has come to an end and so with Neil Edwards still out with a knee injury that means a return to first team action for Mathew Gilks.
Hamilton has no worries about pitching Gilks back into the fray,
"Matthew has been terrific all season and he has been a credit to himself and the club. He has got a big future in the game."
There are rumours that Hamilton will solve the problem of a back up keeper by, a problem caused by John Baker's absence with a calf injury, selecting a far from fit Neil Edwards to sit on the bench but this seems an unlikely course of action to me.
On loan forward Paul Wheatcroft has finished his suspension but is unlikely to feature so that he won't be cup tied for future games at Bolton. However Paul Connor may well find himself on the bench after playing 90 minutes for the reserves on Wednesday.
Keiron Durkan is set to keep his place on his favoured right wing with Dave Flitcroft on the bench where he could be joined by the fit again Graeme Atkinson.
The tie seems to have caught the imagination of the Tamworth populace as their manager Gary Mills has revealed,
"The tie appears to have given the whole town a massive lift.
It's going to be a huge game and we've got absolutely nothing to lose from it, but everything to gain and we're really looking forward to it.
"Football can be very unkind at times so when you get a little bit of success, you have to enjoy it."
"Football can be very unkind at times so when you get a little bit of success, you have to enjoy it."
The Lambs dangermen are ex-league forwards Darren Roberts and Dennis Bailey and they will be hoping that Tamworth can go one better than their last meeting with a league side when they were denied a famous giant killing scalp by a totally undeserved last gasp Bury equaliser.
Dale of course will be out to pocket the £20,000 prize money on offer to the winners as well as keeping themselves on track for a possible third round money spinning tie with a Premiership club.
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Previously
| 15 Nov 2001 |
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| Dale Down To One Keeper |
| Reserves Crash to Defeat At The Crown Ground |
| 13 Nov 2001 |
| Flitcroft Stays |
| 12 Nov 2001 |
| Flitcroft Ready To Depart |
| 09 Nov 2001 |
| Bristol Rovers Preview |
| Gone |
| 08 Nov 2001 |
| Or Is He? |
