Match views . . . Rochdale

John Sheridan

JOHN Sheridan was delighted both with his players as a collective and with skipper and scoring hero Peter Clarke:

"One or two players were trying to wind up Clarkey and I saw Ian Henderson trying to do that.

"I am chuffed to bits he scored the goal and you could see he was chuffed as well. He has had a great season and has played every game.

"It's a great effort from him and he knows how to look after himself.

"I am chuffed to bits to get over the line with a game spare.

"A lot of respect should go to the players. We were in a very difficult position, but they have responded well in the way they have gone about things.

"The first half was probably the worst we have played since I have come back, but we responded in the second half.

"We have stayed up and that was my aim. Full credit to all of the players because they are the ones that have done it. Now, the important thing is to try to better ourselves for next season.

"One thing about us is that we have a good dressing room. We have a camaraderie and it's been part of why we have done alright.

'ACHIEVEMENT'

"The players have done tremendously well, especially at home. They were playing under a lot of pressure before I came in, so to come back with the results we have had, that's kept us up.

"To celebrate just avoiding relegation is quite hard for me. What we have done in the second half of the season, there is an achievement there, but we need to be better next season.

"I always felt as though we were going to be safe going into this game, but I couldn't say it. I was still preparing for games and wanting to win."

ROCHDALE manager Keith Hill had no complaints with the draw, which keeps alive his side's play-off ambitions up to the final game of the season:

"We put in professional performance. We could have had more goals in the first half if we had been a bit more clinical, but I can't and I won't complain about their equaliser.

"It's a fair result, if I'm being perfectly honest. And it gives us an opportunity.

"We're still chasing something going into the last game. After 45 games we've still got an outside chance, of not only achieving our best-ever points total in League One, but also getting into the play-offs.

"I'm pleased that we're still in it going into the last game of the season. Who would have thought we would still have had an opportunity of invading the top six after 45 games? It's exciting."