Ian Henderson

You just can’t keep an old dog down, can you? After smashing home twenty-one goals last season at the grand old age of 34, Henderson has carried on as per usual, hitting three goals in his first four games already.

Much like Jermain Defoe did in the red and white of Sunderland, Henderson has been keeping perpetually-threatened Dale’s head above water, ending each of their last five seasons as their top scorer.

Henderson has played most of his career as a forward but he has also been used in various midfield roles; he can operate on both sides of the pitch as a wide forward in a front three. He famously opened in the scoring in a breathtaking 2-2 draw with Premier League title chasers Tottenham Hotspur in February 2018.

Callum Camps

After a quiet season for the Rochdale play-maker in 2018/19, Camps has exploded into form at the beginning of this term and has already surpassed last season’s tally for goals and assists in just four games.

It’s not the first time we’ve featured the Northern Ireland youth international on the site though, with Camps being the focus out of ‘Scout and About’ feature all the way back in 2017 after an impressive 16/17 season had him earmarked as one of the brightest young talents in the third tier.

Camps is a combative midfielder who can play in a defensive role if required, but undoubtedly his most effective position is in the number ten role, where he’s given the freedom to demonstrate his natural flair and creativity in an advanced position.

Oliver Rathbone

The former Manchester United under-21 regular has been at Spotland for almost four years now after impressing on a short-term deal back in 2016.

Rathbone is combative, energetic and competitive as they come at League One level, and his season was not too dissimilar in style to our recently departed favourite Lee Cattermole, finding his goal-scoring prowess by notching six goals but also gaining eight yellow cards.

Whilst many players are released from top academies and fall out of football altogether, Rathbone is the opposite - he is thriving in the third tier and nobody at Spotland would be surprised if he one day rose back through the divisions.