A draw to be happy with? Rochdale secure FA Cup home tie

However, Rochdale are a home win over a fellow League Two side away from a place in the FA Cup third round.

Monday's second-round draw has paired Dale with the team who got their return to the EFL off to a nightmare start back in August, with Newport County to make the trip to the Crown Oil Arena over the weekend of Saturday, December 5.

Memories of that nightmare trip to South Wales on the opening day will no doubt still be fresh for Watson, his players and Dale fans, with the Exiles running out 3-0 victors at Rodney Parade back in August.

Since then, Newport have won three, lost four and drawn six of their League Two fixtures to sit three points and six places above Dale in 14th place.

So it will present Rochdale with a chance to show what progress they have made in the four months that will have passed since that date - but will the manager who led them that day still be in charge by the time the cup tie rolls around?

That could well depend on how the three league fixtures they have to play before then - home games against York City and Barnet either side of a trip to Northampton Town - turn out, but Saturday's cup victory at Fleetwood has at least eased some of the pressure on Dale's beleaguered boss for now.