Sunday 25 January 2015 15:40, UK
Keith Hill joked he was suffering from cup fever after climbing off his sickbed ahead of Rochdale's FA Cup clash with Stoke on Monday.
Dale upset Nottingham Forest in the third round to set up a date with the Potters at Spotland but Hill has been unable to work with his players all week because of a virus.
"I've been laid low since we beat Crawley (last Saturday)," he said. "Straight after the Crawley game I got home and I've pretty much been in bed since then. Maybe it's just a little bit of cup fever."
The weather has been another inconvenience, with snow still covering the Spotland pitch on Friday morning.
Rochdale do not have their own training ground but have been able to make use of a local indoor facility.
Hill does not expect the game to be affected, saying: "The ground staff do a great job and we've had the help of the supporters.
"They were magnificent on Saturday, removing the snow from the covers, and I believe they've volunteered again.
"The pitch is in very good condition so I've got no doubts the game will be on and it will be a good playing surface as well. We won't use the weather as an excuse."
All the ingredients would appear to be there for a cup upset but Hill acknowledged, of all the Premier League sides they could have faced, Stoke are likely to relish rather than curse the occasion.
The Manchester United fan said of Mark Hughes' team: "They've got quite a few homegrown players. You look at Jonathan Walters for example, he's played up and down the leagues.
"I don't think there'll be any surprises for Stoke. I think they'll come here, they'll embrace the FA Cup and, knowing Mark Hughes, I don't think for one minute he'd let his team get too complacent playing against a team like Rochdale."
Hill first joined Rochdale as a player in 1996 and returned to the club as a member of the coaching staff when he retired in 2003.
Three years later he was appointed manager and in 2010 guided them to promotion to League One, ending a run of 36 consecutive seasons in the bottom division of the Football League.
His achievements attracted the attention of Barnsley but, less than a month after his sacking at Oakwell in December 2012, he was back at Spotland.
Promotion back to League One followed and a place in the Championship for the first time in the club's history is a realistic prospect with Dale currently sitting fifth following three consecutive wins.
Reaching the fifth round of the FA Cup for only the third time in the club's history would be another big feather in Hill's cap.
"It's a big opportunity for the players to play against better opposition," he said. "I can't remember the last time we played against a Premier League outfit apart from pre-season friendlies.
"It's a great indication of how far the team has come. We arguably are playing against better opposition every week now we're in League One but this represents a real challenge.
"We've had a great 18 months. At times in League One we've been a little bit naive and, if we can just change that, learn from our experiences, then I feel as though it could be a very good season for us.
"We should really be fighting relegation because we've got the smallest budget in the league and we're still fighting against some really big sides for an opportunity to remain in a play-off place."
