Gaffer positive ahead of Proact Stadium debut.
Paul Dickov hinted at the prospect of a pulsating clash against Chesterfield on Saturday.The Rovers manager saw his side triumph over his adversary Paul Cook in September and both sides look to be mounting serious pushes for the play-off spots.
“If it’s anything like it was here, our hearts will be in our mouths for the ninety minutes; it was a fantastic spectacle and two teams wanting to play football and in the right way,” Dickov said of the 3-2 reverse at Keepmoat Stadium.
“Cookie and Liam Richardson have done a fantastic job; I watched them on Tuesday against Crawley.
“They play some good football but we do too. It’s a game I’m looking forward to because I think it will be a good game.”
Dickov’s plans for the game are double edged with him being able to call upon new loanee Uche Ikpeazu, but he will be without Dean Furman or ‘signing in waiting’ Abdul Razak.
“He’s desperate to learn. He’s a fantastic kid whose only been with us a few days but he’s got a real will to better himself,” Dickov said of Ikpeazu.
“I think the way we play, with the players we’ve got; we’ll get the best out of him. He’s completely different, he’s awkward to play against, has good feet for a big man and he’s strong.
“Because of his brute strength sometimes he can take two or three players out of the game as well which can create space for others.”
Barring the arrival of Razak, Dickov’s transfer dealings in the January transfer window appear concluded, despite his best efforts.
“We had two bids turned down for a player last week which we decided not to go any further with. I’ve got to thank the board because it was six figures but I wont do is go and pay over the odds for somebody which is what we thought it was and we’ll move on,” he admitted.
“It was a forward thinking player and one we’ve watched a lot but it wasn’t to be. It shows the ambition that myself and the board have.
“[With regards Razak] We’ve done everything we can, Abdul’s done everything he can and we’ve got the work permit sorted.
“We’re just waiting on a bit of paper from the Greek association which for whatever reason is taking longer than it should. He’s as frustrated as I am because he’s desperate to get going. He’s got real quality on the ball and he’ll complement the players we’ve got.”