goalkeeper Matthew Gilks has been at Rochdale since he started at the club`s Centre of Excellence . He continued his way up the progress ladder and was rewarded with a professional contract although it was not until last season that he finally made the breakthrough to claim the number one jersey for himself after being understudy to various senior keepers over the years . Gilks excellent form last season attracted interest from several higher league clubs, but Rochdale manager Steve Parkin managed to convince Gilks that his immediate future lay at Spotland and Gilks gave everybody at the club a huge boost when he signed a new two year contract in the summer of 2005 . Gilks is tall and commands his box with great authority , he is a great shot stopper and has all the qualities needed to play at the highest level . He goes into his first full season as Rochdale`s number one keeper without a doubt .