What can Rochdale expect from their next opponents? Gillingham in profile

The feeling around Spotland will be much less tense on Saturday (at least to start with) now the team have got their first win under their belts, and via an impressive performance to boot against Shrewsbury Town in midweek.

As such, there is a renewed sense of optimism ahead of Gillingham's visit, and another three points will frame their start to the campaign very differently.

But how easy will that be against a still-winless Gills side, who have drawn three and lost one of their four games to date?

We asked Simon Head - founding editor of our CounterPress sister site Gills.365 - for the lowdown on this weekend's opponents...

How are Gills fans feeling about their start to the season?

I think most fans are viewing it as a work-in-progress, to be honest.

The last few seasons we've started fast and been at the top of the table for the first month and a half, but as soon as the clocks go back, we've collapsed and ended up mired in mid-table, only to finish in the bottom half.

This time around it feels very different.

We're coming up to your place still chasing our first win of the season, but we're doing it with a brand new set of players, and a squad that is still in the getting-to-know-you phase.

What would go down as a successful season for Gills?

After back-to-back 17th-place finishes, the bar for improvement isn't too high, so everyone's certainly demanding that we fare better than that this time around.

I think, given the complete overhaul of the squad, and the overall desire to be challenging at the sharp end in the next few years, a top-half finish would be celebrated as a real success this year.

So, top-half would be good, a top 10 finish would represent an excellent campaign, and anything inside the top seven would be dreamland after the last few seasons.

But, in the eyes of most in Gillingham blue, a top-half finish would represent clear improvement, and something positive to build on after seasons of mediocrity. I think that has to be the main goal this season.

How are you viewing the prospect of a trip to Rochdale, both in terms of the game and everything around it (away day experience etc)?

After our opening-day collapse in the last 10 minutes at home to Walsall, Gareth Ainsworth has steadied the ship and we're looking like a much more resolute side than the one that got routinely thrashed in the second half of last season.

But after three successive draws since then, everyone at the club – fans, players and manager alike – want to break this winless start and get three points on Saturday.

We overcame a shocker of a first-half display to fight back for a point at Chesterfield on Tuesday, with Ronan Hale getting off the mark for the season, and we'll head to Spotland this weekend feeling a bit more optimistic about our chances.

It's another long away trip for our incredible travelling fanbase, who always support the team in good numbers, and you can expect them to make a pretty good racket while they're there.

Pound-for-pound, I'd say our away fans are among the best in the division.

What can Rochdale fans expect from Gillingham as a side?

To be honest, we're still trying to figure that out ourselves!

What you can definitely expect is a side with a lot of youth in it. We've signed a lot of talented young players, plus we have a great crop of young players coming out of our academy, and with our squad ravaged by injuries already, they've stepped up and not looked out of place at all.

We're still trying to find our identity as a site, though. Under Ainsworth he wants us to press high up the field at times, and hit teams on the counter-attack.

His oft-used phrase "possession can do one" tells you he's not too worried about the opposition having more of the ball than us, it's more about what we do when we get it that counts.

It looks like we’re already creating more chances than we did last season, and in strikers Ronan Hale and Will Goodwin we have a pair that we hope will develop into a useful partnership for us. 

Any players to keep an eye out for?

Ronan Hale is our main goal threat. The lad never stops running, will chase lost causes all day, and when he gets a sight at goal, he'll let fly from anywhere.

Will Goodwin is a big, strong front man who has had a few chances already this season that haven’t quite gone his way. He looks ready to get his first goal for us.

We also have the raw talent of loan striker from Nottingham Forest, Lamin Sillah, at our disposal, too, so you might see him at some stage.

In midfield, look out for young Harry Waldock. He's only 19, but injuries to a bunch of our midfielders means he's been thrust into the first team, and he looks a real player. Great gas tank, gets about the pitch well, and is a real workhorse for the team.

Another one to watch is James Brophy. He arrived from Cambridge in the summer, and has given us something a bit different going forward.

In the absence of Bradley Dack, who is on his way back from injury, Brophy has been our main source of creativity from midfield.

We're also blessed to have an excellent goalkeeper - Ollie Wright is on a season-long loan from Southampton and had an excellent year on loan with Accrington last term. I think he's going to be hugely important for us this season.