1 March 2015
A good run of results over the first two months of 2015 had Rochdale back on top of the league, with Burton Albion and Fleetwood Town right on their heels, two points behind. With the exception of the shock defeat at home to Nuneaton Town on 28 February, Sanderson's club were playing much better defensively, and the goals kept coming. Andy Sim, with 20 league goals, was the second high scorer in the Royal First Division, and Steven Jackson, on 16, was also among the leaders.
"We're struggling a little with injuries right now," the manager said. "We're thin on defense...it makes it hard for us to give our back four a rest, and they need one." Craig Robertson, Graham Somers, and Ger Dykes had all missed at least a month, and they were only now returning to anything close to match fitness.
Craig Jackson, too, was jaded and in need of some time off, so Sanderson was thinking about using Sim as a single striker. Young, talented Max McKenzie might get some extended action, playing in the hole behind Sim. "We tried that in a game back in the fall, and it worked pretty well," Paul recalled.
With a league championship looking like a more and more realistic aspiration, expectations around Spotland were starting to become higher. Sanderson was fine with that. "We're a good side, and we're going to be in the fight for the league all spring long," he predicted.