Pools will make the trip to Greater Manchester with a renewed belief following their hard-fought 1-0 win over Halifax on Good Friday, which moved them eight points clear of the National League relegation zone.
But when playing teams that prefer more direct football, like Halifax, Pools have typically fared better because it gives Tom Parkes and Luke Waterfall more opportunities to dominate in the air.
Teams who prefer to keep it on the deck, like Gateshead, have the potential to cause more problems for Pools, who do not have an abundance of running power in the engine room.
Under new manager Jim McNulty, the Dale, who were demoted from League Two along with Pools the previous season, have made an effort to play attractive football.
Although persistent financial issues have overshadowed Monday’s opponents’ difficult first season in the National League, charitable industrialist Sir Peter Ogden, who was born in Rochdale, is reportedly moving closer to a takeover.
Despite difficult circumstances, McNulty has performed admirably on the field, helping Rochdale—for whom he played in over 200 games—to 11th position in the National League.
The Dale had been on an impressive run of four games unbeaten until they fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat at Gateshead on Friday after Dajaune Brown, who Poolies will remember all too well from the brace he scored against them in midweek, struck his ninth goal in eight games.
Pools will come up against a familiar face in Devante Rodney, who has four goals in his last seven games after failing to find the net in nine games before that, while Middlesbrough stalwart Adam Clayton is among their midfield options.
It feels as though Pools can at long last afford to breathe something of a sigh of relief, with an eight point gap separating themselves and the drop with just five games remaining, but Phillips is determined to prove his side can compete against a team who like to keep it on the deck.
“We’ll examine it, evaluate it, and select a team to try and neutralise their dangers because we took a few lessons from the Gateshead game.
After that, it’s about our actions and how we heal.
“Fortunately, we won’t be travelling a very far distance.
“The most important thing right now is that we go there with a lot of confidence; the league table seems to be becoming a little bit sweeter right now.
“We’ve still got loads of work to do and I’m going there to win on Monday.”
