Dale travel to Atherton Laburnum Rovers Ladies on Sunday for a third meeting of the season.
Lee Atkinson’s side will be hoping for a third victory, having beaten their opponents in both games.
The first encounter saw Dale play at the Crown Oil Arena back in August. Hundreds of fans were in attendance and were rewarded with a 2-1 victory, thanks to goals either side of the break from Sophie Coates and former player Olivia Jones.
Coates was again on the scoresheet in the second meeting, along with Gracie Smith and Katie King, earning a 3-1 win in the Lancashire Challenge Cup.
Last Sunday’s game against Ashton Town Ladies was sadly abandoned with 15 minutes remaining, due to an injury to goalkeeper Tan Nash.
The Dale number one is recovering at home following the incident but will miss up to around six months.
We still await a decision from the league regarding whether the fixture will be replayed.
Sunday’s opponents, Atherton, come into the game off the back of a thumping 12-0 win against already relegated Radcliffe. The victory puts them level on points with Dale, which reinforces how important this fixture is for Atkinson’s team:
“We need to do more of the same as in previous games, putting in those hard shifts and energy levels to get three points.
“In some games, we have started slow but are working on cutting that out of our game and being more aggressive from minute one.
“I would be very proud of the girls if they can get a third win over Atherton, which I believe they are more than capable of this Saturday.”
Supporters are free to attend the fixture, with kick-off at 2pm. The address is Crilly Park, Spa Road, M46 9WW.
