Our prediction for this League 2 match:
Rochdale play host to Swindon Town at their Spotland Stadium on day 40 of the new League Two campaign. The Dale desperately needed a win against Carlisle, and they managed to get one, with the team putting an end to their three-match losing run. Rochdale are safe for now, and, no doubt, they would be happy with one point from Saturday’s game. Robbie Stockdale is unlikely to make changes to the team that defeated the Cumbrians.
The Robins, on the other hand, aim to climb to the playoffs berth, and seeing that they want this win more than Rochdale, we are going to put our money on the visiting side. There are no fresh injury worries in the away team, but all Aguiar, Mitchell-Lawson, and Parsons are pushing for a start as Ben Garner should opt to make changes to the starting XI.
Highlighted Player (Eoghan O\'Connell):
Eoghan O’Connell is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a center back for Rochdale. O'Connell, who hails from the village of Douglas, was born on the 13th of August, 1995. In his early days, the defender used to play for two renowned Irish academies in College Corinthians and Avondale United before switching to the Celtic Academy in 2011.
He made his professional debut on the 29th of March, 2014, featuring in Celtic's 1-1 draw against Ross Country in the Scottish Premiership. His time at the Hoops included sporadic first-team appearances and loan spells with teams Oldham Athletic, Cork City, and Walsall. However, he won Celtic's Academy Player of the Year 2014 award and was included in the reputed Irish publication Journal.ie's " 10 most promising young Irish Footballers" article. His search for regular playing time brought O'Connell to Bury, whom he joined in June 2017.
He remained at the club for two seasons before signing for his current club Rochdale on a two-year contract starting on the 4th of July, 2019. Additionally, the 24-year-old has capped for the Republic of Ireland's under-19 and the under-21 team. He made his under-21 debut on the 2nd of September, 2017, in a 2-0 UEFA European Under-21 Qualifier win over Slovenia.
Highlighted Team (Swindon):
Founded by Reverend William Pitt of Liddington in 1879, Swindon Town are an English football club which compete in the League Two. The Robins welcome their rivals at County Ground, the stadium which can hold up to 15,728 spectators (all-seated), with the team wearing red shirts and white shorts when playing at home.
Gray is the dominant colour of the club which turned professional in 1894. Oxford United are considered the team’s main rivals, but the Robins have rivalries with Bristol City, Bristol Rovers, and Reading as well. In 1969 Swindon Town did remarkably well to win the English League Cup, with the team beating Arsenal 3-1 in the title game at Wembley Stadium.
John Trollope is the club’s player with most appearances as he played 889 first-team games from 1960 to 1980. Premier League attacker Charlie Austin is one of the most notable footballers who played for Swindon Town in the past.