Tottenham vs Rochdale team news: Keith Hill without seven players for Wembley replay
KEY POINTS
- Calvin Andrew continues to be hindered by an achilles injury and misses the fifth round tie.
- Hill denies clash at the national stadium is "special" after 2-2 draw in first game.
Rochdale will again be without striker Calvin Andrew due to an achilles injury when they visit Tottenham Hotspur in their FA Cup fifth round replay at Wembley on Wednesday [28 February].
The 31-year-old former Crystal Palace forward has not played since laying on Ian Henderson's winner in the fourth-round win over Millwall earlier this month.
Defenders Niall Canavan and Keith Keane are also expected to miss out having played just one game between them in 2018 due to ankle and groin injuries and are described as long-term absentees [Sky Sports].
Manager Keith Hill's resources for the trip to the Premier League outfit are further depleted by the ineligibility of a handful of loan players.
Scott Wiseman [Chesterfield], Billy Knott [Lincoln City], Sam Hart [Blackburn Rovers] and Mihai Dobre [Bournemouth] all arrived during the January transfer window but will have a watching brief when League One's bottom club travel to the home of English football.
Sixteen-year-old Daniel Adshead, Aaron Morley, 18, and Matty Gillam, 19, will all be promoted to the first team squad as a result having made a clutch of appearances during the last two seasons.
"We have got a reduced-sized squad because of the players who are on loan, ineligible, who have already played in the FA Cup, so we're back to our FA Cup squad which will involve Daniel Adshead and some of the youngsters, Aaron Morley and Gilly [Matty Gillam]," Hill told the media at a press conference to preview the tie.
"Calvin Andrew won't make the trip, he's still not recovered from his [achilles] injury. That is a disappointment but we need him back fit, rather than partially fit so we're going to run with the same squad that faced Tottenham last week."
Steve Davies grabbed a dramatic stoppage time equaliser to set up the replay after Dale produced a spirited display to hold Tottenham, who continue to fight on three fronts this season, to a 2-2 draw in the original tie.
The trip to Wembley represents Rochdale's first to the national stadium for 10 years when they reached the League Two play-off final only to be beaten 3-2 by Stockport County during Hill's first spell in charge at Spotland.
But despite the enormity of the occasion – the victor will face the winner of Swansea City and Sheffield Wednesday's schedule replay on Tuesday – Hill is keen to downplay the significance of the fixture.
"I'm looking forward to the game, not the trip," he added on the 432-mile round trip. "It's not a day out. We are trying to do what would be an impossible task - play at Tottenham's home ground and win an FA Cup fixture, a replay. It is a very difficult task for Premier League sides, never mind ourselves.
"Is it a dream to play at Wembley? It is a dream to win at Wembley. You'd rather be playing at Wembley in a cup final. It just happens that it's Tottenham's home ground this season. Too much is made of the special occasion - we are playing Tottenham in a replay.
"If it was a play-off final that would be special. It could be special if you win. I don't draw too much relevance to it, personally. I just see it as a game. Cut out the sideshows and make sure we focus on trying to win a match."
