ROCHDALE bounced back from last Saturday’s poor performance against Dagenham and Redbridge with a rousing penalty shoot-out win over Carlisle in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy in midweek.

Manager Keith Hill got exactly the response he was looking for as his team drew 2-2 with the League One side in an entertaining tie at Spotland.

"Tuesday night went some way towards convincing me the players do want to play for me and the club," said Hill ahead of last night’s League Two clash with Lincoln City at Sincil Bank. "But we still have a lot of work to do. We cannot judge on one performance or result – we do it over the course of 46 games.

"I expect the kind of performance we saw against Carlisle every week, as the supporters do, and in a sense perhaps that’s the problem – everyone expects the team to play like they did against Carlisle week in, week out.

"Like the fans, I was peeved by the way we performed last Saturday. But let’s get things in perspective – we have more points on the board than at this stage last season and we have gone further in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy."

Despite the continued progress under Hill, the manager is conscious of growing discontent among a minority of supporters.

"I’m getting more and more letters telling me what’s changed since last season, what’s happened to certain players and where we are going wrong," said Hill. "These negative letters are typical of dismayed supporters and they show just how easily people forget.

"Some of the letters I get are very supportive, but increasingly I’m receiving ones picking fault and criticising what we are doing. It’s something I can do without, but I suppose that’s the way it is in football.

"The fact of the matter is that we’ve had one good season and with no disrespect to anyone at the club, Rochdale AFC is not a successful football club. We are trying to change that, but we can’t change it overnight.

"There has got to be patience – there is no guarantee it will happen this season considering the greater financial clout of some of the other clubs in this division. We’re looking to build on the relative success of last season but we know how fickle football can be."

Last night’s game was the last of Jordan Rhodes’ loan spell, and as the Observer went to press an extension had not been agreed. Hill has held talks with Ipswich Town, the striker’s parent club, though talks are at an early stage.