BIG Brother may be over but at least two former housemates are still battling for supremacy.
Ricky Shakes and Charlie Comyn-Platt used to share a Swindon flat together but it is the former hoping to clean up on the domestic (points) front today.
Not that Shakes is focused on that, he knows Rochdale have numerous threats in their squad while manager Paul Sturrock has also warned against taking the home team lightly.
Shakes said: “Saturday was a set back but you are not going to win every game. The important thing is to put it right.”
Rochdale may only be two points above the drop zone but they are hardly a team devoid of hope or confidence. Only a last-gasp Walsall wonder goal denied them three points at the Bescot Stadium last week while Dale’s last home outing saw M K Dons walloped 5-0.
Shakes said: “Macclesfield were low in the table when we played them but we looked at their run before the game.
“We realised we’d got a game on our hands.
“Now we have to go to Rochdale and play our hearts out.”
Three points would be especially welcome today, with promotion rivals Walsall and Hartlepool playing each other.
Shakes said: “We want to complete the double over them. That would be a big bonus.”
Three points would also help increase the gap to fourth place.
The Trinidad and Tobago youngster said: “We’ve all said we don’t want to be in the play-offs. We want automatic promotion and that’s what we’re aiming for.”
As for Sturrock, he spells out that this is another trip to a ‘form’ side.
He said: “We’re going to a team, if you look at their last five results, who would be in the top six performers in this league.
“You don’t beat M K Dons 5-0 and then draw at Walsall if things are not going right for you. It is a very difficult game for us.”
Sturrock will be looking for a strong finish from his players at Spotland this afternoon.
He said: “I looked at the Hartlepool tape and they had an edge that we didn’t have.
“Maybe it was the effects of the midweek game (at Peterborough) we weren’t as strong in last 10 minutes as we normally are.