ROCHDALE manager Keith Hill was delighted with the work put in by his team which culminated in a thrilling 3-1 win over Barnet at Spotland on Saturday.

He was even more delighted to have silenced those who had doubted the team’s ability to score after they had failed to register against Grimsby Town and Oldham Athletic in their opening two games of the season.

He said: "Saturday was a very good end to a perfect week, a very productive week. Three points at home, three goals, and I don’t know why anybody in league football questions our scoring capabilities because we create opportunities and we have goalscorers in our squad. I think people just want to talk about nonsense if they like, but it was never a concern of ours.   We are two games in and you can understand why the pressures in football are what they are. People just seem to want to stir up hornets’ nests all the time, and I suppose Alex Ferguson will be under a bit of scrutiny now, and a bit of pressure, because Chelsea won and United drew.  We are very even in our thoughts and our aims for the season in respect to it being a 46-match season and not a two-game one."

One of those who contributed to the score was Jon Shaw, and the Rochdale boss is confident there are many more goals to come from the former Halifax Town striker.

Hill added: "It was superb. Jon Shaw scores goals. He still has a lot of catching up to do, as he hasn’t played league football for some time.  But one thing I do know is if we put the ball in the right areas for Jon he will score.  We have no concerns about Jon, Lee Thorpe, Adam LeFondre, Chris Dagnall, Will Buckley or Kallum Higginbotham. We know we are going to score goals with that type of player in the squad, not forgetting, of course, Adam Rundle."

Creating bullets for the strikers to fire on Saturday was a very effective midfield, with skipper Gary Jones and Clark Keltie bringing a smile to Hill's face.

He said: "The midfield looks very balanced. Teams will be watching us, and they'll see Gary Jones and Clark Keltie are important to us in a very good partnership. Then we have Ciaran Toner, Mark Jones and Kyle Lambert, so we have very good competition for places and I think, if I am being perfectly honest, it’s difficult to choose our best starting 11, because everyone seems to be in form. It’s brilliant.  We have spent a lot of time together, including the trip to Spain, and we are all pleased with our pre-season endeavours. But nothing can be accounted for in pre-season other than fitness levels, which I think are high.  There is nothing better than playing in real live football action and that's where ultimately you will get your match sharpness."