Rochdale boss sends message ahead of Shrewsbury Town showdown

As starts to a season go after promotion, Rochdale’s could hardly have gone worse.

Three games, three defeats, one goal scored, six conceded and bottom of the League Two table.

It is not the start to life back in the Football League that Rochdale would have wanted. Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Colchester United was their latest setback, and they will now look to respond with two home games this week, starting against Shrewsbury Town.

Rochdale are looking to avoid becoming only the second newly promoted side in the past 18 seasons to lose their opening two home games of a League Two campaign, after Barnet last season.

It has been a difficult start in charge for Ian Watson, who was appointed head coach this summer. He joined from National League North side South Shields, whom he led to the play-off final last season.

After Saturday’s defeat at Colchester, Watson called for a response from his players.

“There can’t be any feeling sorry for ourselves or the victim mentality,” he said.

“We are all in charge of our mindset. We have to change that very quickly to make sure we are in a really good place come Tuesday night.

“We have to get the momentum going and make sure we leave no stone unturned.

“We want to be really aggressive at home, make the opposition feel uncomfortable from the start. The fans will do that…it’s up to us to make sure we do that as well.”

The meeting with Shrewsbury will be the first EFL clash between the sides since Salop won 2-0 in League One in March 2021.

Town could also record successive away wins at Rochdale in the EFL for the first time.

One of the most memorable meetings between the sides came in September 2007, when Rochdale scored in the 80th, 85th and 90th minutes to complete a dramatic 4-3 victory.