The Season Review

It is a great measure of the progress that Rochdale have made when The Football League’s most consistently unsuccessful side (arguably) can consider the 2008/2009 a disappointment.  Keith Hill often preaches for ‘realism’ and stresses that a play-off semi-final is a “great achievement” for a side with limited resources.  On the other hand, many fans are bitterly disappointed that the Dale fell at an earlier hurdle than last year, when many were touting promotion.  Without wanting to sound like Trevor “Mr Creosote” Brooking, I can see both arguments.  While Hill is obviously using tried and trusted lines to take the pressure off the squad, there is an element of truth.  Similarly, the fans obviously are prone to going overboard, but when you have been so starved of success, who can blame them?

To make matters worse, the rise of rivals, Bury, may have ’skewed’ the view of some fans.  Finishing behind Bury was not forseeable last season and is unacceptable.  They have had a remarkable ascension up the ladder that has been revolting from my point-of-view.  Luckily, they imploded in spectacular style against eventual play-off losers, Shrewsbury (Dale, at least, lost to the promoted side- any bragging rights can be salvaged!).  This season review would have been melancholy had the ‘Buckets’ achieved promotion.

Hill’s ‘7-year plan’ to gain Championship status may have to expand.  I’m sure promotion to League One was forecast to take place by the end of this season at the very least.  The consequences are likely to be substantial.  The first indication of these consequences came in the form of Hilly’s 10-strong release list.  This was a big clear-out as Dale don’t have the largest squad in the world.  There could be many reasons for this, although financial reasons are unlikely to be far from the most prominent.  I think that Rochdale are careful to marry their ambitions with financial security, keen to avoid any financial peril.  While this may seem like stating the obvious, although Dale tend to go with a ‘prevention rather than cure’ approach that is at odds with other teams approaches (i.e. Bury and their buckets).  I seem to think that the release list reflects that as many big-earners have departed.  Alternatively, it could be an opportunity to dispense with some unnecessary squad members, allowing Hilly to go ‘lean and mean’ for next season.  Whatever the reason, I will evaluate the departures below and give my opinion (Note- arrivals will be dealt with in seperate posts):

Let us get it over with first, Scott Wiseman was released.  The right full-back had been inspired all season long, providing an attacking threat that the other right-back Simon Ramsden could only dream of.  This was a financial decision as Dale can’t really afford two players who play one position on good money.  It also showed loyalty to Ramsden who had been at the club for a few years.  Amazingly, Ramsden the chose to chase the money at Bradford City and Wiseman was back.  I can’t recall a released player ever returning, but I am so glad he is back.  I was never a great fan of Ramsden (did he ever get a cross into the box?), although he showed himself to be fairly versatile at times.  Tom Newey was the other full-back to go, but he was on a short-term deal and merely provided an insurance policy for Tom Kennedy.

Now for a few of the givens, Kallum Higginbotham was finally put out of his misery.  After exploding onto the scene last season, he failed to make any impression and spent most of the season on loan at Accrington.  The signs were there after his poor performance in the play-off final last season, but his inability to beat his man and his woeful physical strength sealed his fate.  Unfortunately, he is still under contract so can only be placed on the transfer list.  Another club is unlikely to be interested; he’ll be here for ages.

The next ‘disappointing in the play-off final and useless after’ player is Nathan D’Laryea.  ‘Dairylea’, as he is not-so-affectionally known, has been non-existent this season and I think he was injured/out on-loan for most of the season.  The former-Manchester City trainee had a lot of potential (apparently), but even I had a better chance of securing a contract this season.

Another man who struggled with injury was Mark Jones.  Bought on a free transfer last summer from Wrexham, he had been linked with Premier League sides in the past until injuries curtailed his progress.  His record didn’t improve, but he was impressive in his few performances.  In the end, the injuries ensured that he represented too much of a risk to keep on, especially as he won’t have come cheap.

The best  news for my health came in the release of Lee Thorpe.  The target man used to drive me up the wall as he was constantly caught offside.  It got to the point where my friends swung around to analyse my disugst everytime the flag went up (or everytime there was a through ball).  In my opinion, one of the least intelligent footballers of all time (his awareness is shocking) and a journeyman who is better with his head than his feet, is no loss to Dale and will probably go on to notch a couple more clubs in his remaining years.  (Note- I may have been slightly harsh, but he wasn’t my favourite player.  He does have some merits in his game- his heading ability is pretty damn good)

Dale’s other target man has also left.  Fan favourite Lee McEvilly was a valuable impact player after he was bought in January from Cambridge United, turning games against Shrewsbury and Chester completely on their head.  I think that there must have been a dispute between ‘Evil’ and Hill as he found himself banished on loan to Barrow at the end of the season.  It is the only reason why Dale would choose to let a man leave who is a valuable commodity when coming off the bench.  Despite his limited technical ability, he offered ’something different’ as he was a complete contrast from Rochdale’s footballing philosophy.  I think this was a necessary alternative that would have allowed Dale to grind out some results.  Obviously, Hillcroft felt differently.

Even more worryingly, Dale released BOTH of their first-team goalkeepers.  Sam Russell and James Spencer.  They have played second (and in Spencer’s case third) fiddle to loanees Tommy Lee and Frank Fielding and Russell has been rumoured to have been on poor terms with the coaching staff.  I was sad to see them go, to be honest.  I always felt that Spencer was unlucky to lose his place to Russell after injury and Russell was equally unfortunate to take the fall for Dale’s inability to keep clean sheets.  Add to this, that I felt Lee was too short (although he was superb in his stint at Dale) and Fielding was wild (he was prone to the odd error and his positioning was a spectacle).  I think Russell had more to offer the club, though Spencer was never going to get another opportunity.  The result of their departures means that Rochdale are left with the worrying prospect of no senior keepers. Hill will have to address tht problem urgently.

Unfortunately, Clark Keltie also found himself on the transfer list.  He was often the second choice behind Ciaran Toner when it came to partnering Gary Jones in midfield and it appears that Dale are choosing not to be able to afford his services for another year.  In my opinion, it would be great to keep him as his vision and passing ability are among the best in the league.  His ‘quarterback’ style of play is possibly more suited to a higher level, but I would love to see him stay.

So, at the end of a slightly disappointing season, many players have paid the price.  Hill is going to have a busy summer, but I believe in him.  In his short career, he has shown that he has the acumen and insight to build a successful team and, hopefully, he can do what the best managers do- build another one.  However, it is obvious that he really must gain promotion next season or it could be his last.  Hopefully, he can make the step out of the division, eventhough it would be sod’s law as I will struggle to make many games next year.  Either way- UP THE DALE!.

The Road to Wembley (Having Passed it Twice)

This post has been a long time coming.  I really couldn’t bring myself to finish it.  This should give a big clue to the final result, but, nevertheless, here are their events in their (lack of) glory…

The trip to Gillingham was a long one.  For the 6.30 pm kick-off, the coach departed at 12.00 and the journey was expected to take 5 hours.  Only the dedicated need apply.  Despite the epic journey, the Dale fans were in good spirits and rightly so.   The first leg had shown that the two teams were very similar and, despite home advantage for the Gills, anything could happen.  ‘Dale still have an excellent chance’ was the general consensus, although the away performance against Wycombe would be more welcome than the one against Bournemouth!  With the journey started, talkSPORT was on the radio to listen to updates on Bury’s second leg in the other game that kicked off at 12.00.  I, personally, thought that Bury would have a simple task as Shrewsbury had a poor away record and Bury held the advantage.  How wrong was I?  Bury somehow imploded; missing a penalty and a missing a host of chances (some credit must go to Daniels, the Shrew’ keeper, who was immense).  With just minutes to go, and just as the coach passed Shrewsbury, the away side equalised through Kevin McIntrye to the delight of the coach.  It looked grim as Shrewsbury were reduced to ten-men and put under a ton of pressure by the home side.  Thankfully, they managed to hold firm before clinching victory in the shootout.  As the coach pulled into the service station for a rest stop, there were scenes of celebration for the demise of Dale’s local rivals.  Maybe this was going to be our year.  Maybe the Dale were going up.

 Ok, so a defeat to another side should have no bearing on the confidence of our fans, but it did boost morale somewhat.  It was nice to know that the Shakers weren’t going to Wembley and I planned on emphasising this fact to the Bury fan I know (who used to share this blog).  I thought I’d wait until after the Dale game as I didn’t want any of my comments to come back and haunt me.  I wouldn’t know if it was a good decision for a good 6 hours.

 The Priestfield Stadium is located right in the middle of a housing estate and the roads are extraordinarily tight in the close proximity.  This meant that the coach had to park ten minutes away and we had to walk the rest of the journey which was probably for the best after the 5-hour journey.  The walk took us through many narrow alleyways and ginnels; they must have been fun in the seventies and eighties when hooliganism was rife.  A gang at each end of the opening and a couple of home fans to jump over the perimeter walls would be all that is required to beat down the home support.  It was hard to notice that we had arrived at the ground as it was weirdly placed at the end of a street.  We were met by what was, basically, a pile of scaffolding with some seats nailed on.  I knew it was temporary seating, but it looked more rickety than I imagined- I wouldn’t be jumping up and down if Dale score!

 In the queue at the turnstile, bag searches were being complete as usual.  I was carrying a rucksack with food and drink (in bottles) for the way home and, naturally, I didn’t want the bottles to be taken from me.  To avoid this, I opened another pocket that contained my PSP, my coat and a magazine that my girlfriend had bought at the service station.  This magazine featured a women with a bikini on the back cover, prompting the steward to tell me that “I can keep my dirty magazine”.  While I was embarrassed, I was reluctant to put him right; I would much rather be the perv on the coach than a regular reader of women’s magazines.  Oh the shame!

 Mercifully, it was a dry day.  No roof in the away end meant that Gillingham even felt the need to offer us complimentary waterproof coats, but I declined anyway.  I was stood there in my Rochdale shirt as I awaited kick-off, which was now imminent as the sun began to set.  A surprise in the Dale line-up was the inclusion of Joey Thompson on the right-wing ahead of Will Buckley.  Buckley had impressed me in the first-leg, but, apparently, not everyone else shared my view.  Either way, I’m sure Hill hoped he would pose a potent threat against a tiring Gillingham side.  Up front, Rochdale went with Chris Dagnall and Lee Thorpe- the ‘little-and-large’ pairing that Hill often prefers. The selection of Dagnall may raise a few eyebrows as it means demoting top-scorer Adam Le Fondre to the bench, Daggers would dismiss my concerns with sensational performance (more on that later).  Thorpe also replaced Jon Shaw, who had been reasonably impressive despite his lack of match sharpness.  I consider Lee Thorpe to be the least intelligent footballer in the League and he did nothing to disprove my claims here.

 The start of the game was unsurprising as the home team were well on top with their running from deep being as dangerous as it was in the first leg. Winger Andy Barcham’s dribbling was particularly dangerous throughout the game and he really tested a solid Dale defence in the early stages.  Gillingham were aided by Dale’s poor passing that saw possession surrendered constantly in the final third.  The runs from deep finally made the difference as Barcham found space out wide and crossed for Simeon Jackson to nip in at the near post and poke the ball home, past Fielding’s desperate dive.  In the build-up, there was a clear handball that, to my amazement, was not spotted by the officials.  The argument could be that the ball bounced up and on to his arm, but, at the end of the day, the Gillingham midfielder gained a significant advantage from the handball, therefore, it is a foul.  Needless to say, I was livid and shouted myself hoarse in protest.  No voice, a goal behind, away from home- it was going to be a tough day.

 When find your team in this position, it is difficult not to feel as though you might as well get back to the coach.  With a team like Rochdale, this feeling is emphasised in the stands.  As shown by Frank Skinner (the sage) when he sang:

‘Everyone seems to know the score,

They’ve seen it all before,

They just know,

They’re so sure’,

This is a brilliantly-apt description of the feelings that came across in the stands.  Importantly, the players refused to give in and showed great character.  Passes found strikers; Dagnall battled; Thompson dribbled.  The fans became ignited by the Dale players’ surge in performance and the reward came shortly before the break.  Chris Dagnall was found in the area and he coolly feinted, deceiving the whole of the Gills defence before slamming the ball beyond Royce in the goal.  It was a sensational finish that defied the lack of confidence that had dogged him from day one this year, however, there is no doubting that the effort he put in every week certainly warranted this reward.  Naturally, the away crowd went mental, literally rocking the stand.  I stopped jumping quickly.  My yelling also stopped abruptly, although that was more forced.

The shift of momentum was swift and powerful.  Where Dale were previously struggled to find men, passes were sticking.  Where deflections would previously find blue shirts, they now found yellows.  The pressure was cranked up, leaving the Dale fans bouyant at half-time.  When the second half continued in the same vein, it looked like Dale were going to pull it off.  Well, it did seem that way until Gillingham hit back.  A counter attack by flying winger Andy Barcham saw him seemingly going nowhere before McArdle came across and totally took him out.  Stone-wall penalty!  It was a stupid tackle and Simeon Jackson converted to give Gillingham a precious 2-1 advantage.

Finding themselves behind, Rochdale truly had the stuffing knocked out of them.  They immediately looked a beaten side and were lucky to stay within a goal of the home team as Richards deflected a Barcham freekick onto the top of the bar.  Hilly made changes and went for a 4-3-3 with the introduction of Buckley and Shaw (cleverly deployed on the wing) and, more importantly, withdrew the crap Thorpe.  Unfortunately, Dale just couldn’t break down the Gills defence until the final moments when Buckley dragged a glorious opportunity wide of the mark.  It would have been a fairytale ending to his breakthrough season, but he and Dale were to miss out on the day.

The Gillingham fans invaded the pitch, rightly so, but decided to abandon, erm, wild abandon and instead focused on taunting our fans.  Last season, when we were victorious, I remember our fans applauding the unsuccessful Darlington fans and even pulling the taunting minority away from the stand.  As a result, we traded insults with the invading fans who were now trying to break police lines in front of our stand.  Bizarrely, the bloke on the tannoy praised our away support and we turned to applaud the few remaining home fans in the stands before resuming our insults towards the pitch.  Only in football.  With all these procedures completed, we started the walk back to the coach and began the journey home.

Season over.  There was a slightly sombre mood on the coach (as you can imagine), especially as we passed road signs for Wembley (oh the irony!).  It came to the point where only two or three people were awake on the coach.  I was one of them, unable to sleep after what I had witnessed.  Instead I continued to manage Dale on Football Manager Handheld.  FA Cup-winning, UEFA Cup challenging, Championship side Rochdale.  I can but dream…

Familiar Territory

The second meeting in five days bore very little resemblance to the Gills comfortable victory at the weekend as Dale made a host of changes.  The omni-present left-back Tom Kennedy replaced loanee Tom Newey to take his rightful place in the starting line-up along with Nathan Stanton (replacing Marcus Holness), Ciaran Toner (Mark Jones), Lee Thorpe (Jon Shaw) and Adam Le Fondre (Chris Dagnall).  The under-strength Dale side struggled to make an impression against Gillingham; who only brought back Andy Barcham, veteran keeper Simon Royce and star striker Simeon Jackson.  This gave me the impression that Gillingham had shown their hand more fully than Rochdale.  The result was that I was hopeful that Dale would secure a passage to Wembley over the two legs.  On the other hand, I was quite nervous.  Every fan must feel like this in the scenario, at home in the first leg is a disadvantage and it is imperative that Dale take a lead down to Kent.  The vast majority of nerves came from the fear of finding Dale out of the tie by the second leg.  As far as I was concerned, a narrow lead would do just fine, although a draw wouldn’t be a nightmare.

If this game could have been more even, I have no suggestions as to how.  The League Two play-off semi-final first leg between Dale and Gillingham at Spotland was hard-fought to say the least.  It was quite clear that Gillingham were content to pick up a draw, cue constant time wasting and a counter-attacking strategy.  As for Dale, they found it difficult to break the door down all night as chances were few and far between.  If anyone was going to break the deadlock, it was the prodigious Will Buckley; who was eager to end his breakthrough season with a defining goal (or to put himself in the shop window).  He gave Joe Nutter, the brilliantly-named Gillingham left-back, a torrid time and the defender entered the book after half-an-hour for a poor tackle from behind (a source of inconsistency from the referee as he had let an identical incident pass on the other wing just minutes earlier).  Buckley was to tire as the game progressed and failed to capitalise on his marker’s caution, however, he did conjure up Rochdale’s best attempt- ending a mazy run with a strike that flashed just wide.  The Gills almost responded to the pressure on the brink of half-time, forcing an excellent save from a close range header by Frank Fielding.  The on-loan Blackburn Rovers keeper got down well to tip the ball around the post and Dale got away with it.

The second half was more of the same as very little separated the two sides.  The two best attempts came from long range, courtesy of Gillingham’s Stuart Lewis and Dale’s captain Gary Jones.  First, Lewis struck a fizzing ball from around 25 yards that was parried away spectacularly by Fielding to the safety of the touchline.  Not to be bettered, Jones attempted a spinning volley that was also met by an aerial parry from Royce.  I had seen Jones practicing this type of effort in the warm-up (where he shanked it, naturally), so it was good to see it come off in the game, although, unfortunately, it didn’t produce the desired result.  With chances becoming increasingly few and far between, Dagnall had Dale’s final opportunity.  Striking from a tight angle, he forced a good save from Royce low down to his left.  The referee, of course, missed the save and gave a goal kick. However, this was nothing compared to the blinding error that he would make in the dying stages.

A Gillingham corner saw the usual pushing-and-shoving, attracting the attention of the official.  While he was focusing on Rory McArdle’s confrontation with substitute Mark McCammon (nothing out of the ordinary), he walked right past Albert Jarrett just after he had head-butted his marker, Nathan Stanton.  The crowd, including me, were incensed by the referee’s failure to see the incident, especially after last year’s controversy with David Perkins.  The influential midfielder missed Dale’s final at Wembley last season for a ‘phantom tackle’ as he was sent for intent.  To sum it up, it was a decidedly dodgy decision.  Also, the fact that Perkins’ ‘misdemeanour’ was televised on Sky probably contributed to his dismissal meant that surely Jarrett should be sited after the game?  He won’t be, hence Rochdale will probably screwed yet again.

The game petered out to a 0-0 draw, which is a decent result, although not ideal.  The problem may be that Dale’s advantage has gone as it will be difficult to defeat Gillingham on their own patch.  A home win is possibly required to secure a place at Wembley on many occasions.  I hope it doesn’t cost Rochdale.  As for Bury, they have no such worries.  A somewhat ‘flukey’ own goal gave them a slender away advantage against Shrewsbury Town.  The own goal in question was completed by Neil Ashton, whose attempted pass-back looped over Luke Daniels in the Shrews’ goal.  The goal must have secured Bury’s place at Wembley.  Damn!

 So Dale, for the second year running, had failed to secure a positive result in the first leg of the ploay-offs, although this time they didn’t have the luxury of home advantage in the defining match.  A long trip to Kent awaits.  Hopefully, a successful one.

The Flitcroft Show

I am usually the type of fan who treats a defeat as the end of the world (or, at least, the end of the week), so it was a pleasure to have nothing to play for on the last day of the season.  This was the first in a series of three possible games with Gillingham as they were the likely opponents for Dale in the play-offs.  To be honest, I can’t really believe it is the end of the season and I can see a football-less summer looming on the horizon.  It is games like this that will get me through.

Rochdale’s boss, Keith Hill, had been saying all week that he would rest players and he lived up to his word.  Tom Newey, on-loan from Grimsby, fulfilled his role for the first (and probably last) time as cover for Kennedy at left-back.  Jon Shaw was handed a start on his return from a loan spell at Crawley, while Lee McEvilly also returned from Barrow to take a place on the bench.  Further changes saw the ‘Jones brothers’ fill the central midfield roles; Gary returning from injury to play at Spotland for the first time since February and Mark reconciled his rift with Hill to start.  The big news was that, for the second time this season (after Bradford at home), David Flitcroft, Hilly’s assistant, was also named amongst the substitutes.  However, this time the gaffer had promised an appearance that would roll back the years.  As with the other promises, Hill would bring Flicker into the fold, but more on that later.  Hill also believed that Gillingham would rest players ahead of the games on Thursday and Sunday, but, as far as I could tell, only top-scorer Simeon Jackson was rested.  Maybe the Gills were showing more of their hand than Rochdale, who knows?

As for the match, Gillingham thought they had taken the lead early on when Albert Jarrett was found unmarked at the back post to tap home.  To the Gillingham fans’ disgust and the Rochdale fans’ amusement, the whistle was blown early on to ensure that the deadlock wasn’t broken.  It made little difference as Gillingham were ahead shortly after.  Curtis Weston himself with a significant amount of space ahead of him when he received the ball on the halfway-line.  With Gillingham catching Dale on the break, Weston showed pace that has obviously deserted him on my Football Manager game!  The former Leeds man swept around Rory McArdle before seemingly being brought down by Newey.  What happened after that is unclear, with the result being the whole defence on the seat of their pants while Weston poked the ball into the corner.  In response, Dale applied pressure without really testing Alan Julian in the Gills’ goal.  The closest they came were two cracking Buckley crosses that flashed across the six-yard box with no-one to tap home.  Apart from that and an excellent clearance from under his own bar by Nutter, Rochdale rarely showed the necessary menace to score.  In the end, it was quite comfortable for Gillingham, who strolled out 1-0 winners.  I doubt the games at Spotland on Thursday and the Priestfield next Sunday will be quite so comfortable.

The second half did have one redeeming feature that made the game memorable: Dave Flitcroft.  From the start of the half, it was clear he was coming on as he warmed up from the word go to a standing ovation and incessant chanting.  His name reverberated around the stadium, probably bewildering the away fans and he was introduced to replace the ineffectual Joe Thompson.  To my surprise, Fitcroft even took up Thompson’s right-wing berth to become a non-flying winger, a position I thought would be a tad too ambitious ay his age.  I needn’t have bothered worrying.  Flitcroft offered a passing masterclass with every touch being cheered by the home fans.  He almost scored as well, a 25-yard strike flashing just past the post

 On the defensive side of things, he was just as good, if not better.  First of all, it must be said that he was booked for scything down a Gillingham player who had a free run at the defence.  It was a bad tackle, but I thought the referee should have employed ‘common sense’ (Pierluigi Collina, no less, stresses the importance of this in a referee) as it is possibly going to be his final professional appearance.  The ramifications of this continued as Flitcroft was involved in heated discussion with Gillingham’s number four.  It didn’t kick-off to a proper brawl, but you can’t have it all, can you?  Nonetheless, the Gillingham player would pay.  A couple of minutes later, a 50:50 was contested between the two, which Flitcroft won while simultaneously flooring his rival with a crunching tackle.  Needless to say, Flicker’s total commitment left him down seeking treatment.  Later, a similar situation occurred after a Flitcroft dribble (it actually happened, I was there!), but, this time, Flicker easily won the ball as his opponent bottled it.  The punishment was not over as Flitcroft outdid himself with his final challenge.  Gillingham’s number four found himself in a great position just on the edge of Dale area.  Making the most of his space, he decided to turn away, only to be met by the ‘Wall of Flitcroft’, who used his comparatively large girth to bounce his opponent to the floor and sent the home fans into delirious cheers (and rolling around with laughter, in my case).  When he was named man-of-the-match, it just about crowned off what was an exceptional cameo that transformed a meaningless game into a piece of Dale folklore.

To add to the party atmosphere, news came through that Exeter had defeated Rotherham, which meant that Bury (who had won via a 95^th minute penalty) were to miss out on automatic promotion by a single goal.  It’s a shame.  My heart bleeds for them, it really does.  Congratulations to Will Buckley, whose consolation in the dying moments of March’s defeat at Gigg Lane probably cost Bury a guaranteed spot in League One.  Now they are in the play-offs and only a fool would bet against a Rochdale vs Bury final at Wembley.  Personally, I hope not as they seem to have the ‘Indian sign’ over Dale, but that has to change at some stage.  Firstly though, Gillingham must be defeated and I think Dale have a reasonable chance, but we’ll have to wait and see.  One thing is for sure though, I cannot wait for Thursday!

Over The Line

In the penultimate game of the season, Adam Rundle’s second half equalising goal against already-relegated Luton Town clinched Dale’s play-off spot for the second year running.  I can’t wait!  Quick to react to a rebound, the left winger slammed a right-footed volley beyond the keeper from point-blank range and it was all but confirmed that Dale’s season would go beyond next weekend.  It seems like a tie against Gillingham awaits after the final game of the season against the same opposition.  Three games on the trot against the Gills will be very strange indeed.  The games should also pose an interesting problem when it comes to the away leg.  The Dale fans will either be travelling down for a 7.45 KO on a Thursday night or an 11.30 KO on a Sunday morning (apparently).  With the mammoth trip down south, both will be difficult to get to, especially as the 11.30 KO may see the need to depart at around 5/6 o’clock in the morning.  Now there’s dedication!  All this, of course, depends on the final result of the season.

When Tom Craddock converted from the spot in the first half, it looked as if Dale were going to continue to limp over the line.  With only one point required, Dale had struggled in recent times.  As a result, Rundle’s second half goal caused Dale fans to let out a huge sigh of relief.  With Rochdale safely in the play-offs, I can only hope that Exeter and Wycombe win on the last day of the season to deny Bury promotion.  I really cannot believe Bury have Accrington as their final game (there were allegations of match-fixing when the two sides met on the final weekend last year) and Exeter face Rotherham away; a very tough match.  I hope they only manage a play-off place or I will never live it down.  A clash at Wembley between Dale and Bury may not be desirable as Bury have consistently got the best of recent encounters, but, at least, their promotion would be in Dale’s hands.

Congratulations to Tom Kennedy, who has made the League Two team of the season.  He has been exceptional (yet again) this season and has been an example to others with his consistency and professionalism, making the starting line-up on almost every occasion.  It is richly deserved.

Update: The Football League have delayed the kick-off of the play-off semi-final 2^nd leg.  In their infinite wisdom, the authorities have delayed KO from 11.30 to 12.  How helpful.  They are so considerate of football fans!  Oh… and Sky.

Thundersticks And Cheerleaders Won’t Win Titles

Darlington would be right in the play-off mix if it wasn’t for their 10-point deduction for going to administration.  That said, it is probably the least of their worries at the moment, they still are in danger of going bust as they haven’t found a buyer, but it does highlight the danger they possess.  This danger is worrying as Dale really MUST win this game.  Three points would gain a play-ff spot and leave Dale in with a shout when it comes to going up automatically.  The signs weren’t great from the start.

I was appalled at the atmosphere at Spotland.  I really am a miserable s*d, but I thought that the ‘party atmosphere’ was premature as Rochdale have won nothing yet.  For the visit of Sky, there was an increase in the crowd (a special family ticket saw an increase in kids too) as many just tried to get their mugs on the telly.  Cynical, I know, but it’s the truth.  In addition, a local promotion from the Rochdale Observer saw the sale of ‘Thunder Sticks’, inflated rubber sticks that make a ‘noise’ when banged together.  They were irritating, at best, as they were mostly found strewn across the floor by full-time.  Next up was the continued use of cheerleaders.  Dale have had some in the past (until one fell over, ‘Wayyyyyy!’), but they have reappeared recently to rev the fans up by not one iota.  There was also the promotion clinching favourite; the inflatable ball, bouncing around the stand: if it had come near me it would have been straight under my seat!  There was also a bloke on stilts outside to contribute to the complacency and I could see what Sky would be broadcasting next, namely a Dale home defeat.

Jason Kennedy didn’t hang around when it came to proving me right.  Last year’s penalty villain in the play-off battle between these two sides, turned hero with a sumptuous strike from 30 yards.  He was given the time to set himself and unleash a masterful volley over Fielding.  It might even eclipse the wonderful goal he scored in the first-leg of the aforementioned play-off tie.  It was almost a bigger lead as Fielding twice found himself almost beaten by the bounce of the ball from long balls.  One even caught him by surprise to such an extent that he had to push it onto the post.  It hardly inspired confidence.  For the rest of the half, Dale played some decent stuff without making too much of an impression, although Chris Dagnall missed two wonderful opportunities.  The first isn’t worth mentioning, but the second one certainly is!  After an excellent break, Dagnall received the ball on the edge of the area with a significant amount of work still to do.  He jinked and he weaved the ball into an excellent position around 12 yards out and proceeded to smash the ball way over the crossbar.  After all the work he had done, it seemed only the easy part remained, but it never is in League Two.  The result of Dagnall’s wasted chances was a 1-0 deficit at the break.  If Dale concede a goal early in the second half (as they tend to do) it may just be all over.  The match and the automatic promotion bid.

In the second half, the game became scrappy and no one really made an impression of note by dominating the general play or creating chances.  That said, Darlo did take the lead, in eccentric fashion, through a Rory McArdle own goal (probably his 5^th of the season after he went through a spell at the beginning of the campaign).  The corner was whipped in, finding the head of Pawel Abbott, whose header seemed to hang in the air.  Strangely, Fielding was slow to react, watching the ball strike the post instead of jumping to collect it.  This left McArdle with nowhere to go as the ball struck him and rolled into the net.  It was a calamitous goal to receive, especially live on Sky Sports.  As the game petered out, the Dale fans did even less to cover themselves in glory as some home fans started fighting with stewards who took exception to them standing at the back of the stand.  The ensuing scuffle was a further embarrassment, though it was more interesting than the events on the field.

A black day then.  The death of the automatic promotion dream and the confirmation of a play-off place would have to wait another week, at least.  On this form, I wouldn’t fancy Dale in the play-offs either.  All is not well at the moment.  Hopefully, this means that better times are ahead.  Hopefully, promotion is ahead.

Just One More Point

The game with Shrewsbury was more important than most.  A win at the New Meadow would see Rochdale well into contention for automatic promotion, but the most critical result of a victory would be the clinching of a play-off place.  Shrewsbury currently reside in 8^th, one place outside the play-off spots and 7 points behind Rochdale with three games to play after this game.  A failure from the Shrews to notch a victory would all but seal Dale’s place in the post-season festivities.

The first-half represented Shrewsbury’s need for a victory as they battered Rochdale.  Nick Chadwick and Grant Holt were amongst the players lining up to break the deadlock as wave-after-wave of attacks were launched on Frank Fielding’s goal.  It was Holt who finally ended Rochdale’s resistance just two minutes after the break.  Chaos at a corner ended with Holt converting from close-range in his trademark predatory fashion.  The former Rochdale man was scoring against his old side for the second time this season, the goal in the reverse fixture also arriving just after the break.  It is becoming a bit of a problem now.  After the break, Dale usually have around 10 minutes where they look exceptionally vulnerable and they usually concede in this period.  The amount of times that Dale have undone the good work of a first period this season has probably contributed heavily to any failure to gain an automatic promotion spot (should they miss out).

The general balance of the play suggested that Holt’s goal may be decisive (to the joy of the Dale fans), though the visiting side managed to gain a foothold in the game.  With 15 minutes of the game still to play, Rochdale managed to cultivate an equaliser via the unlikely source of Chris Dagnall.  A miserable season in front of goal for the previously-prolific striker had defied his superb work rate all year, though he would get a reward today by providing the equaliser.  Picking the ball up at the edge of the area, Dagnall sent a tremendous first-time effort beyond Luke Daniels to give Rochdale a priceless point.  The shell-shocked Shrews had no reply and the game fizzled out into a 1-1 draw.

While a win would have been ideal, I guess I can’t complain too much.  With automatic promotion looking evermore unlikely, a play-off place must be clinched at the earliest opportunity, which happens to be the televised 12.45 kick-off against Darlington at Spotland.  A point would be enough for a play-off place, though a win would be preferable; essential to keep Dale’s dim automatic hopes alive.  Surely I won’t be disappointed.

Up Yours, Robbie Williams!

If there is to be one criticism to be levelled at Rochdale this season (and there is room for a few), it is that they have not been able to ‘grind’ out the victories when they are not at their potent best.  This has seen many dropped points that have caused the automatic promotion bid to be more arduous than it really should have been.  For example, the 1-1 home draw with Macclesfield springs to mind.  It was a treat then, to see Rochdale eke out a win against Port Vale.

Port Vale have had a poor season, unable to mask their league performance with the ‘luxury’ of a points deduction that fellow relegated side Bournemouth and Luton have ‘enjoyed’.  They have been nowhere throughout the year.  Of course, against Rochdale, they still offered a threat, especially as Hill had made a few changes.  The most notable was the introduction of the previously on-loan Marcus Holness at centre-back to cover for the absent Stanton and a return to the squad for the disappointing Kallum Higginbotham.  Higgy had struggled to replicate the form he showed in late 2007 and we weren’t expecting a great deal here; his Rochdale career is surely over.  As it happened, he only lasted half of the first period after being floored by two strong (and brilliant) tackles by his marker.  Hill made similar changes last season to his starting line-up at this stage last season and it almost cost an automatic promotion spot then, it was possible that the scenario would be repeated.

Port Vale almost struck first when they struck the woodwork.  A corner would almost be the undoing of the Dale once again as the initial header was won and the flick-on left Frank Fielding with little option but to watch the ball come back off the bar.  Rochdale’s performance was hampered by the ineffectual Higginbotham on the right-wing, so it was unsurprising when Dale took the lead while he was off receiving treatment.  Ten-man Rochdale advanced down the right with the luckless Dagnall who showed Higgy just how it was done.  Beating the defender and getting to the byline, Daggers centred for the waiting Buckley on the opposite wing, leaving him the simple task of rolling the ball home.  It was the ‘tip of the iceberg’ as far as Dagnall’s performance was considered.  Okay, so he may not be banging in the goals as he once was, but his work ethic and his desire to give his best for the team was inspirational as he carried Dale over the line.  As the second half wore on, his attempts to notch a goal intensified, causing some great support from the crowd.  A clear man-of-the-match performance from Chris Dagnall.

Apart from Dagger’s performance, Dale’s ability to restrict Port Vale’s chances was probably the most impressive feature of their display.  From the moment that they struck the bar, Port Vale were restricted to efforts from long range, at best, that rarely caused Frank Fielding to break sweat in the spring  Rochdale sunshine (I repeat, sunshine).  Even Louis Dodds was unable to repeat the trick of many other ex-Dale strikers by scoring against his former team.  In the end, it was a comfortable victory that the 1-0 scoreline failed to do justice.

Victories in a similar vein must be acquired in the remaining four games if Dale are to stand a chance of automatic promotion.  Next up is play-off chasing Shrewsbury at the New Meadow where a win would seal a play-off spot for Rochdale.  In fact, a positive result of any kind will leave Rochdale as shoe-ins for a play-off spot.  Let’s just hope that Grant Holt has even less luck than Louis Dodds!

Oh I Do Hate To Be Beside The Seaside

Skint for as long as most fans can remember, it has been a strange old season for Bournemouth.  Deducted 17 points; Kevin Bond sacked after a few games; Jimmy Quinn lasting only a bit longer; financial worries (although this is nothing out of the ordinary).  Yes, it has been a strange old season.  Things had picked up recently as Eddie Howe made the transition from player to manager to become the youngest in the Football League.  Under Howe, the south-coast side had managed to surpass the truly dire Chester and Grimsby, giving themselves a great chance of retaining their League status and, possibly ultimate survival with their ropy finances.  Things were looking up with some formidable home form and Dale, the next visitors, would feel the full force of that!

A 4-0 rout was the result.  A Brett Pitman hat-trick and a Liam Feeney strike did for Dale as they were easily dispatched at Deans’ Court.  I can’t say I didn’t expect a defeat as it is difficult to beat Bournemouth at home, but the manner of the defeat is worrying.  Hill called it “an all-time low” for his tenure and it is hard to disagree as the implications could be massive.  It isn’t exactly going to cause morale to ascend and shows a lack of resilience that may be of concern.  I just have to hope it occurs as a one-off and doesn’t affect form drastically.  While it is clear that the Rochdale’s players performed poorly, news of a rift between Mark Jones and Hill lead to him being withdrawn at half-time.  This can be added to the long list of concerns as it is essentially another member of the squad that cannot be used because Hill will surely not use him while their relationship is under a cloud.

A bad, bad day at the office for Rochdale.  As I mentioned earlier, the important thing is that it remains consigned just to that and doesn’t escalate to a poor run of form.  Port Vale are next for Dale.  A must-win then, as is every game from now on.  Hopefully, Dale can cause Port Vale’s poor season to continue and make up for the mystifying defeat at Vale Park.

Dale Pay The Penalty

With the likes of Bradford, Wycombe and Chesterfield already faced, Rochdale continued to come up against their promotion rivals with Exeter’s visit to Spotland.  The Grecians, freshly promoted from the Blue Square Premier, were going for a second consecutive promotion and were looking to continue their progress.  In the reverse fixture, they had triumphed over Dale with a resounding 4-1 victory, leaving Hill’s men in no doubt that this game would be a difficult one.

Aware of the difficulty of the fixture, Rochdale looked eager to get ahead and came out with a scintillating passing game that dominated the southern side.  This evaluation was lost on Sky (who had a reporter for Soccer Saturday at the game) who reported that Rochdale had been poor and Exeter had been on top.  Not quite sure how they could see the game like that, but oh well.  Unfortunately, Liam Sercombe’s free-kick then thundered off the bar for Exeter, almost confirming that Sky’s reporter was correct.  Thankfully, Rochdale answered this criticism in the best possible way by scoring from a corner (it’s very rare to celebrate anything from a corner).  After a flick-on, Lee Thorpe could not miss from close range and had the simple task of nodding home, especially when you can consider that he is better with his head than his feet!  This theory was validated only a couple of minutes later when Thorpe poked a volley wide from 12 yards.  His miss seemed insignificant at the time, but would come back to haunt Rochdale after the break.

One of Rochdale’s major flaws is their tendency to concede just after the break and it reared its ugly head once again.  Almost a decade ago, Marcus Stewart was setting the Premiership alight with surprise package Ipswich.  The former Tractor Boys veteran managed to cause mayhem in the area after an Exeter counterattack.  Controlling the ball quite clearly with his arm, Stewart rolled the ball in as he left Fielding and McArdle on the floor.  Needless to say, the Rochdale fans were distressed by the referee’s failure to spot the infringement, although it wasn’t a patch on the travesty of Saltergate!  From then onwards, doom and gloom set in as it looked like Dale would fail at home once again.  No fans do doom and gloom like Rochdale!  There did seem to be light amongst the clouds later in the half as Buckley was felled in the area and the referee, possibly keen to make up for his earlier error, gave the penalty.  Every time Adam Le Fondre steps up to take a penalty, everybody seems to remember that he is a self-confessed spot-kick ‘specialist’.  As a result, it is always perplexing when he misses as he did here.  Luckily, the rebound came straight back and he hammered it into the roof of the net to give Dale a critical lead.

Well, I thought the lead would be critical.  As it was, the lead only lasted for a minute.  Exeter literally went down the other end of the pitch and scored.  Stuart Fleetwood burst into the area and Nathan Stanton mysteriously went for the sliding tackled very early, which allowed Fleetwood to ‘let himself to be collected’ by the Rochdale defender for a penalty.  It was a stupidly naive foul from a supposedly experienced defender.  Up stepped Stewart to complete what, with his experience, was surely a formality.  He rolled it home with predictable ease and Exeter were level.

The game ended in a draw, representing another missed opportunity for the Dale.  At this crunch stage of the season, these are the games that need to be won, especially against rivals like Exeter City.  Rochdale’s failure may possibly see them miss out on automatic promotion.  If only Thorpe’s missed volley had nestled in the corner!  It doesn’t get any easier for Dale, with a long trip to Bournemouth in the next game.  They are notoriously difficult to beat at home, but a win may be a necessity.  C’mon Dale!