Luton defender Osho confident he will fit right in during loan move to Rochdale

Town defender Gabriel Osho has played twice for Rochdale since joiningTown defender Gabriel Osho has played twice for Rochdale since joining
Town defender Gabriel Osho has played twice for Rochdale since joining
Centre half reflects on his debut during Gillingham draw

Town defender Gabriel Osho is confident that he will fit in with the style of player at Rochdale after joining on loan until the end of the season.

The 22-year-old made an immediate debut for Dale during the 2-2 draw with Gillingham in League One on Saturday, conceding in the final minute to let two points slip, following that up with another 90 minutes as his new side lost 4-3 at home to Oxford United on Tuesday night.

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Speaking about his move to the Rochdale official website, Osho said of his time in Greater Manchester so far: “It has been good so far.

“Coming in on the Friday and then playing on the Saturday was a quick turnaround but everyone has been great and everyone has helped me settle in, so I’m just happy to be here.

“The coaching staff and the players filled me in on how the team play, the philosophies and what the opposition were going to be like.

"Everyone showed me the best they could before the game to help me, which was good.

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“I always like to get in and play as soon as I can, because I think it helps me settle in and lets the lads know that I can trust them and that they can trust me.

"It helps with building relationships on the pitch, so it was good to play as soon as I came in.

"We played well on Saturday, especially whenever we had the ball.

"It was a tough, physical game but it was literally two moments from set-pieces (that we conceded from) and that one in the last minute was a killer.

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"It was really disappointing but we’ve just got to dust ourselves down and go again.

"The style of play suits me. The manager said he likes the centre-backs and the goalkeeper to play and I saw that on the pitch on Saturday - everyone really buys into that.”

Meanwhile, Osho was quick to make the move to the Crown Oil Arena when he knew of the interest, with the knowledge that his game time at Luton would be limited.

He continued: "As soon as I heard about it, I thought it would be a good opportunity for me, so I was really happy that the deal got done.

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"I’ve seen young players come to the club and do well, so it seemed like a good place to come.

"It’s a good fit for me.”

There was one familiar face at the Dale for Osho, with former Reading defender Paul McShane also at the club, with the ex-Royal adding: "I was at Reading with Paul and he’s helped me settle in well here.

"He has always been a leader wherever he has been, so I remember when I was 16 or 17 years old and he was leading the team at Reading.

"He helped me there and hopefully he can do the same here.”

After a 2-2 draw on Saturday, Osho then also started against Oxford on Tuesday night, with Dale falling behind to a Dan Agyei strike on 12 minutes.

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The hosts responded superbly though, with Matty Done (22) and Stephen Humphrys (30) on target to move 2-1 in front at the break.

However, the U's came out for the second half and levelled after just four minutes, Elliott Moore rising highest to head home a free kick.

Oxford were back in front just after the hour mark, James Henry hammering into the top corner from 30 yards, but Matt Lund made it 3-3 moments later.

In stoppage time, the U's won it though, Olamide Shodipo finding the net from distance after keeper Gavin Bazunu had come off his line to make a clearance.

This weekend, Rochdale head to Bristol Rovers.

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