Source: FOOTYMAD
Home record gone
Dickov - "if we play like that to the end of the season, we will be up there" Rochdale inflicted the first home defeat of the season on Athletic at Boundary Park but manager Paul Dickov was still upbeat after the defeat. Old boy Chris O'Grady came back to haunt the Latics as he scored both of the visitors goals. Dean Furman gave the home side hope with a late goal but Dale hung on for an unconvincing win in a match where the referee took centre stage.In his after match comments Dickov said, “I am disappointed, but delighted with the boys. They were excellent and, if they play like that to the end of the season, they won't be far away. I thought we were excellent from start to finish and told them to get their heads up because, if we play like that to the end of the season, we will be up there. We are full of character and there were some big performances in what was a scrappy game as derbies usually are.”“It is a sad state of affairs when Keith Hill and myself, during and after the game, and everybody else was talking about a so-called Premier League referee. We should be talking about an entertaining derby, one in which I felt we were the better team from start to finish and up to the penalty Rochdale hadn't had a shot on our goal. If we had drawn the game, I would have thought we would have been unlucky. I thought we had a really good go, but it was one of those days when things didn't go for us and I really thought the better team lost. We have two games coming up at home against Swindon and Southampton and, if we perform like that we will pick up points. We have to keep believing. I believe in the players and believe we will push up the league and do well this season.”“I know Chris O'Grady from my days at Leicester when he was a youngster and I can never remember him doing that. Sometimes the script is written when you come up against your old club. When an opposition player is sent off in a derby match and the home fans are singing to the referee 'you don't know what you're doing' for me sums up his performance.”
