A Good Night For The Spireites, A Bad Night For Dale

Riding a wave of optimism after the Wycombe win, I was confident of a second, consecutive away win for Rochdale- this time at Chesterfield.   It would be a dangerous fixture as Chesterfield had struck form at just the right time, allowing them to capitalise on their games-in-hand and mount a serious play-off charge (automatic promotion should be beyond them).  Despite losing their main goal-scoring threat, Jamie Ward to Sheffield United, the Spireites had barely suffered with Jack Lester hitting form.  The former Sheffield United striker was arguably the best striker in the league (Chris Dagnall and Grant Holt may have something to say about that, Andy Bishop has no chance) and it would take a concerted effort from the Dale defence to keep him quiet.  Despite their form, if Dale ‘turned up’ I felt that Chesterfield had no chance.  Dale didn’t turn up.

Saltergate is used to portray the Baseball Ground, Elland Road and even the original Wembley in the new Brian Clough film, the Damned United.  As I arrived at the ground, it was easy to see how the film-makers saw it suitable to be used as the seventies versions of the stated stadiums.  Everything about Saltergate screamed the seventies.  Grey and brown concrete created terraces that looked to be carved into the side of a cliff rather than built as they stood just a second from crumbling.  The crowning glory of the ground was the open-air ‘toilets’.  A wall, some weeds and the stars- just what you want when you relieve yourself!  To be honest, it was the best part of the night as Rochdale were capitulated.

It wasn’t pretty.  Chesterfield dominated from the word ‘go’ as Dale could barely escape their half.  Frank Fielding was regularly called into action and provided a response every time, until Lester struck.  The ball was cleared up into the air by the Rochdale defence.  As it was above the stand, the wind caught the ball, radically changing its direction.  Unfortunately, Rochdale’s central defensive partnership Simon Ramsden and Rory McArdle were slow to react and Jack Lester was allowed to bring the ball down under no pressure.  The experienced striker calmly took the ball beyond the two defenders, rounded Fielding and tapped the ball into an empty net.  34 minutes gone and it looked like there was almost no hope of Dale getting back into the game.  A bit pessimistic, but very realistic.

After the break, former Rochdale goalkeeping hero Tommy Lee was to spend the half in front of the Dale supporters.  When on-loan from Macclesfield, Lee was a stalwart of Dale’s play-off side last year, gaining cult status amongst the fans who christened him ‘Gypo’ due to his long hair.  He got a great reception and even he couldn’t avoid laughing at the chants.  His new shortened hair led to “He’s not a Gypo anymorrrrre” and when Dale fans got desperate they offered “a paraffin lamp for a goal”.  You have to love English supporters’ wit!  Unfortunately, it didn’t improve matters.  Dale went two behind just beyond the hour as Lester further underlined the threat that he poses.  Receiving a throw-in from the right, Lester turned inside before placing a left-footed effort right into the corner of the net.  It was inch-perfect and left Fielding with no chance, which was more chance than Dale now had of getting anything from the game.  It got worse.  With four minutes to go, the Dale defence parted allowing Gregor Robertson a free run at goal.  He made the most of his chance, tapping the ball beyond Fielding to compound Rochdale’s blushes.

A humiliating defeat was already complete when Rochdale had their best chance of the match.  The referee had a poor game throughout, but he outdid himself when he failed to notice a handball on the line in injury time.  An excellent Dale move saw the ball flying into the net, only to be diverted by a hand of a defender.  It was about as clear a handball as you are ever likely to see.  The referee hesitated, despite me and the rest of the fans’ adamant claims, only to be rescued by the rebound going out for a goal kick.  Relieved, the referee gave the goal kick and dismissed our claims.  It is the worst decision I’ve ever seen in the flesh and possibly the worst since Schumacher flattened Battiston (a bit extreme, but why not?).  I could barely speak about anything else all day home, it genuinely shocked me.

Gary Madine’s performance was almost as shocking.  The big man didn’t make a great first impression on me as he failed to win any headers or even jump for half of them.  He was used as a target man throughout, although Rochdale didn’t have a target man until Lee Thorpe appeared (and he isn’t my favourite either).  I miss McEvilly.  It was a shocking decision to release him on-loan, in my opinion.

It was disappointing to lose in this fashion after the win against Wycombe.  The cliché; “every game is a cup final”, is very apt now and another promotion-chasing clash with Exeter City visiting Spotland at the weekend.  A win would be nice, but an improvement in the performance is a minimum as the results are unlikely to come otherwise.  Any other slip-ups like this and promotion can be forgotten.  I hope not.

Who Saw This Coming?

Who could have predicted this?  Rochdale were away at Wycombe and it is fair to say I wasn’t expecting a lot.  Earlier in the season, Wycombe had taken all the points at Spotland in their own trademark style.  A Mike Williamson header and plenty of defending were the order of the day: it is the formula that has taken them to the top of League Two.  Having lead the league for so long, the crown has recently slipped as Wycombe’s form has declined.  Even so, surely Rochdale didn’t stand a chance at Adam’s Park.

Rochdale, as expected, began the game on the back foot.  Frank Fielding was equal to Wycombe’s early opportunities, keeping a clean sheet that was vital to Rochdale’s fortunes for the day.  After 30 minutes, something strange happened.  Wycombe stopped being the side in the ascendancy as Rochdale began to dominate.  The Dale really needed the first goal if they were to take anything from this fixture, so this was a positive step in their attempts at securing some vital points.  Peter Taylor’s side are specialists in defending leads (and they are ALWAYS on Sky- Taylor has contacts), making them the antithesis of Rochdale and their free-flowing style.  Hopefully, in this division, a victory will be a triumph for good football as opposed to ‘grinding’, defensive football.  Unfortunately, they were so accomplished at grinding out results; it would take something special for Dale to break down the dogged defence.

After the break, something special arrived.  Well, Dale’s scrambled injury time winner was special from my perspective, just don’t expect it to challenge Van Basten’s volley.  With seconds remaining, Adam Rundle delivered the ball from the left into ‘the corridor of uncertainty’ (in between the defender and the ‘keeper), causing chaos.  In the confusion, Gary Madine managed to somehow bundle the ball to the waiting Le Fondre, who applied the finish and stole the points.  Madine, a tall, rangy striker, was making his first appearance for the Dale and making an excellent impression with his assist.  As I wasn’t present at this match, I’m looking forward to seeing him against Chesterfield in the week.  His contribution in this game improved Rochdale’s promotion hopes no end.  Previously, Wycombe and Brentford were adrift at the top with Rochdale in the chasing pack.  This victory keeps Rochdale at the head of that pack, while also bringing Wycombe closer.  The three points left Rochdale well in the automatic promotion picture, though their inconsistent ‘Jekyll-&-Hyde’ form if they are to have a hope.  This win must be built on.

With ‘squeaky-bum time’ fast approaching, wins like this are more than encouraging for Hill’s men.  With further promotion-chasing teams still to play Dale (including Chesterfield and Shrewsbury as well as the final day clash with Gillingham), results like this must be echoed.  Wednesday’s rearranged game at Saltergate is another difficult away game. Three points would leave Dale in prime position.  Surely, I would be asking too much for another three points there.  With the confidence from today’s victory, anything is possible!

‘We’ve Only Got One Ground!’ And No Three Points…

Having erased the memories of Gigg Lane with the 3-0 thrashing of Bradford City, Rotherham United were next in line at Spotland.  Optimism swept across the Rochdale supporters; a dangerous occurrence at Rochdale.  Of course, it came back to haunt the home side in true Rochdale fashion.

 

The first half was crap.  You could call it even, scrappy or untidy, but, at the end of day, it was crap.  The flowing football that had dominated the Bradford game, destroying the Yorkshire side, was gone.  In its place was a game that was devoid of chances and any clear domination from either of the two sides.  The final ball is often missing in League Two, but there was no build-up play at all in this game.  Fielding was the busier of the two keepers, but that wasn’t really saying an awful lot.  It was a mediocre 45 minutes and there was not really much more to say.  So much for optimism.

 

The second half also remained goalless for all of 5 minutes.  Rochdale often concede early in the second period and Keith Hill’s team-talk did the usual trick today.  From a corner, Rochdale failed to clear the ball and it landed at the feet of Reuben Reid.  The Rotherham striker turned and had the simple task of firing into the bottom, far corner to give the Yorkshire side a goal advantage.  A particularly irritating factor of this goal was the identity of the scorer.  Reuben Reid had spent a short while on loan at Rochdale a few seasons ago and was, by all accounts, very poor.  It was inevitable he would come back to haunt Dale.  They always do; whether it be Lambert, Holt or anyone else.  Despite the lacklustre performance, Dale still had a chance at 1-0.  Their hopes were, therefore, ended on 71 minutes as Rotherham doubled their advantage.  A tremendous break from the Millers found Jason Taylor on the right-hand side.  He ran down the line until, upon reaching the edge of the box, he curled in a magnificent effort.  I was behind the effort all the way and it was only ever going into the top, far corner.  Frank Fielding made a valiant attempt at saving it with a desperate dive, but he had no prayer of getting there.

 

It was looking pretty dim as far as a win was concerned for Dale.  With 20 minutes to go, a draw was still on, though a goal would have to be scored soon.  On 75 minutes, Adam Le Fondre mustered a reply.  Some incisive passing found Nicky Adams on the left and he delivered a perfect cross to allow Le Fondre to head home from close range.  Buoyed by the goal, I now expected Dale to lay siege to the visitor’s goal.  Instead, Stanton and McArdle (Dale’s centre-back pairing) combined to sandwich Jason Taylor inside the area.  The referee showed no hesitation and immediately gave a penalty.  Up stepped Reuben Reid with the chance to kill the game off.  Frank Fielding suddenly started waving at him and pointing towards the right-hand corner.  Convinced that Fielding had finally lost the plot, I waited for the penalty.  Reuben Reid struck the ball… and it hit the bar!  Frank Fielding is a genius!  It wasn’t enough in the end, as Dale succumbed to a 2-1 home reverse.  That said, at least the penalty provided one of the most entertaining moments of the season.

 

Unfortunately, that incident maybe the only thing I can take from this as the promotion picture changed yet again.  I’m expecting the worst against Wycombe next weekend.  Until then, I can console myself with the banter about Rotherham’s ground.  Chants of “We’ve only got one ground” and others will get me through the week!  They may have to get me through next weekend n’all.

Bouncing Back Against Bradford

This was probably not the best of times to play Bradford.  After two successive defeats for the Dale (including a morale-denting 2-1 reverse at the weekend), they met the Yorkshire men on the back of two consecutive victories, including a 5-0 romp against Aldershot.  The demolition of the ‘Shots’ put Bradford level on points with Rochdale, moving ahead of them on goal difference.  4^th versus 5^th is a massive game at this stage of the season.  For Rochdale, it really was a win or (almost) bust situation.  They needed to get back on track.

 

Unfortunately, Keith Hill was prevented from naming his first choice line-up as Ciaran Toner had limped out of the game on Saturday to join Gary Jones on the injury list.  This left Rochdale in dire straits with a dearth of central midfielders.  As a result, Mark Jones stepped into the void to partner Clark Keltie, making his second appearance of an injury-ravaged season after his summer move from Wrexham.  More on his performance later.  The further bad news for Rochdale was that they had pretty much exhausted all of their reserves and needed someone to fill a spot on the bench.  35 year-old assistant manager David Flitcroft (who still registers as a player for this very reason) stepped up to the plate and took his place amongst the substitutes.  Having focussed solely on coaching since Keith Hill had begun his reign, it was unlikely that Flicker would get the opportunity to roll back the years.  Hopefully, he wouldn’t be required to lace up his boots.

 

Rochdale, ironically, started with a passion and desire that was lacking throughout their derby day defeat to the-side-that-will-not-be-named earlier in the week.  In fact, there was only one team in the game in the early stages; Dale penning Bradford into their own penalty area with a succession of corners.  Dale often win a significant amount of corner kicks, but a combination of poor deliveries and a relatively short team compared to the rest of the division (only Thorpe, McArdle and McEvilly pose a regular and serious threat) see them mostly wasted.  Today, the differences were minor as Lee Thorpe managed to muster a weak header from the edge of the area that was saved by Rhys Evans at the second attempt after a minor fumble.  For the rest of the corners (that managed to beat the first man), Bradford captain Graeme Lee reigned supreme, almost single-handedly denying Dale.  His prowess wasn’t restricted to set-pieces as he was there with the crunching tackles, winning headers and getting blocks in during open play too.  He could do nothing to stop Thorpe from having a second attempt though.  Will Buckley had been impressive on Saturday and Bradford were also having a hard time contain him.  On this occasion, he escaped the clutches of his marker and supplied a beauty of a cross to the far post for Thorpe.  He seemingly couldn’t miss, but a poor connection from the veteran saw the ball fly wide.  Dale continued to put the Bantams under pressure with little notable success.

 

For the last 15 or 20 minutes of the first half, the massive travelling support from Yorkshire managed to rouse their troops into commencing an offensive.  Bradford City finally came to life.  They were doing to Rochdale what the home side had done to them earlier and it appeared they might succeed where Rochdale had failed in breaking the deadlock.  Their top scorer, 14-goal Peter Thorne, had their two best opportunities and was denied on both occasions by Frank Fielding.  The Dale keeper was eager to make an impression after the embarrassing 1^st goal of Saturday’s derby and was quick to charge down Thorne’s 1^st attempt after some lax Rochdale defending.  He was then on hand to save a low, cross-goal effort from Thorne, just flicking around the post with a beautiful save.  Rochdale managed to see out the half thereafter, but, with Bradford in the ascendancy, could they keep them out for the second period?  A more important question may be: could they keep all of their players on the pitch?

 

Mark Jones was the first to enter the book after a nasty looking tackle.  I’d like to think that the referee decided not to dismiss him due to his long absence, but that would be thinking too much of the man-in-the-middle.  Despite the aforementioned lay-off, Jones had been supreme in the first half as he sprayed balls around the park and provided an excellent delivery from corners- something strange for the regular Dale supporters.  McArdle then celebrated his recall by felling former Dale loanee Steve Jones as he broke away.  It looked bad as Jones was propelled into a somersault-like leap, but it wasn’t that bad and only slightly late.  A caution was fair.  I was worried that Jones may receive a second booking as it would be easy for him to miss time a tackle in his enthusiasm, but he survived the second half.

 

In fact, Jones and McArdle did more than survive.  With less than 5 minutes gone since the interval, Jones whipped a superb ball into the box from a wide free-kick and on to the head of McArdle.  The centre-half really could not miss, deflecting the ball beyond the keeper and into the top, far corner.  It was the perfect start to the half, but could Bradford respond as their 3,000 fans (probably outnumbering the home support) created a cacophony of noise?  It took seven minutes for Rochdale to kill the game off.  From a Mark Jones corner, Joey Thompson flicked-on to Barry Conlon.  The Bradford striker handled the ball and the referee pointed to the spot.  I could tell you whether it was a stonewall penalty or not, but a handily-placed pillar obstructed my view.  Luckily, the ref doesn’t have to deal with that!  Adam Le Fondre was primed from 12 yards, smashing the ball down the centre of the goal.  Rhys Evans got a good hand on it, but was unable to repel the sheer power of the shot: 2-0.  As far as I and the travelling support were concerned, the game was very much over.  The Bradford fans, who had filled the away stand and caused stewards to make room to accommodate them, started streaming from the ground to confirm my thoughts.  The fans who decided to make an early start on the journey to the White Rose County made a great decision.  It was 3-0 on the 74^th minute.  Le Fondre managed to wriggle himself out of a cul-de-sac in the corner and was felled as two Bradford defenders slid in.  Now, one of them got the ball and there is no denying that.  The question is: did the player who got the ball also get Le Fondre or was it the other defender?  From my vantage point, it was almost impossible to tell and could have gone either way.  I didn’t envy the referee, who had an excellent view and immediately gave the spot-kick.  This time, Alfie found a more composed finish to his liking by calmly sending the keeper the wrong way and rolling the ball into the corner.

 

The three-goal cushion didn’t exactly bring out the best side of Bradford.  Firstly, their assistant manager was incensed at the decision to award the controversial second penalty.  He demonstrated his disgust by arguing and squaring up to the Rochdale bench so the referee sent him off.  His refusal to leave quietly led to much amusement as he eventually had to walk past a stand full of Rochdale fans to get to the directors box.  They were very accommodating.  Secondly, Will Buckley had to endure some harsh treatment from the Bradford players.  The Yorkshire side had five players cautioned; at least four of them were for tackles on the Rochdale prodigy.  With the right-back Arnison struggling against him, Colbeck was brought back to help deal with Buckley.  He became the first to be cautioned as he scythed down Buckley from behind.  Next up, the right-back Arnison finally suffered the inevitable and was booked for a ‘rugby tackle’ on Buckley.  Stuart McCall, recognising his plight, withdrew him and ended his misery.

 

Zesh Rehman, the on-loan Pakistan international, replaced Arnison and continued the punishment for Buckley.  Not after Dean Furman had first joined the party, viciously flying into the Dale winger.  But Rehman was keen to continue the torture, which was now becoming an obvious symbol of Bradford’s frustration.  The ill-temperament was beginning to get dangerous, culminating in a shocking tackle from Rehman.  Two-footed, off the ground and miles away from the ball; he really should have been sent off.  I’m tempted to say that Buckley agreed with me as he lay in a heap on the floor.  When he was finally substituted on 90 minutes, he did seem to be grimacing and limping as he came towards the line.  Fingers crossed he’s okay for Rotherham on Saturday.

 

The magnitude of this victory may be important in the recovery from Saturday’s defeat.  A win against Rotherham will certainly improve Dale’s prospects no-end.  The Bradford win was especially useful as only Gillingham managed a victory (courtesy of a last-minute penalty) out of Rochdale’s rivals.  Things are looking up.  At this rate, the Dale may be going up.

Repeat After Me: ‘It’s Only A Game, It’s Only A Game…’

All the claims from both sets of supporters, that this is ‘[insert club here]’s cup final’ were of little importance in this game.  The rival fans knew the importance of gaining a win; in terms of points and morale.  A derby win can spur the victor on to a sustained promotion push; defeat can cause the start of a slump that may leave promotion hopes in tatters.  After today’s result, I sincerely hope that the latter does not come true.  Dale just didn’t turn up at Gigg Lane for their showdown at noon with Bury.

 

Even the journey to my seat at Gigg Lane was eventful.  Traffic was diabolical as the exodus from Rochdale reached full flow.  It looked for a long time that I may not make the kick-off, though I just about made it with no thanks to the Bury staff.  First of all was the frisking, which delayed me even further.  If I’m honest, I fared better than a mate of mine; who had to empty his pockets when a steward found something on him.  Was it a knife?  Nope, he had forgotten to take his house phone out of his pocket!  I was laughing about that for a while.  My next delay came courtesy of the staff on the turnstile.  The bloke had a simple job: rip a section of my ticket off and hand me back the other piece.  Unfortunately, he seemed more interested in numbering the tickets that he had collected than serving me.  I was livid.  The players were out on the pitch!  When he had finished making a mug out of me, he finally allowed me entry and I plonked myself down on one of the few remaining seats.  I was ready, but were the team?

 

Today, Dale were without Gary Jones and they really missed the leadership that he provides.  The team were soulless without his drive; it was probably the biggest influence on the result and the performance.  Bizarrely, the man who was chosen to replace him in the centre was none other than winger and part-time striker, Joey Thompson.  I am one of Thompson’s biggest critics, but, to be fair, he played really well and gave a sterling account of himself.  The irritating thing about this move was that, despite Thompson’s performance, it was a risk for Hill to change the line-up to accomodate a youngster in an unfamiliar position.  He clearly tries to keep the opposition guessing, though it just seems to disrupt our rhythm.  He has a habit of taking risks of this manner in big games and it is not something I necessarily agree with, but I will support Hilly on it. At the end of the day, he is a young manager and he has to learn somewhere along the line.

 

As for the match, it started well enough with both teams sharing possession and territory.  After 19 minutes, disaster struck as Bury took the lead.  A period of sustained pressure led to a backpass to Frank Fielding.  The Dale keeper kicked the ball but it was charged down by Elliot Bennett, looped up into the air and spun into the net.  It couldn’t have been a more humiliating goal to concede in a derby.  The fans knew it.  More importantly, Frank Fielding knew it as he looked livid, violently kicking out at… the turf.  Ah well, at least he cared.  Dale seemed to show character and resilience as they attempted to hit back immediately.  Joey Thompson rose to meet a corner which was cleared off the line.  That was about as good as it got for Dale until the final minutes.  The first half was all Bury from that moment on as the Dale fans seemed almost resigned to defeat.  Andy Morrell really should have sealed it, missing two glorious opportunities that a man of his stature should have notched with little trouble.  Firstly, the veteran struck the base of the post with a close range header.  Secondly, he skied over from around seven yards.  At half-time, Dale were lucky to be only 1-0 down.  Hopefully, a b*ll*ck*ng at the break could turn the game on its head by sparking a performance from the Rochdale side, though it would have to be the mother of all team talks.

 

The second half kicked off after the half-time cabaret (sorry, cheerleaders) had finished, demonstrating very little change from the first half.  Dale looked like achieving absolutely nothing and it was only a matter of time before the second goal went in and put the away side out of their misery.  Surprisingly, the game was still in the balance with 5 minutes to go, when Bury scored again.  Mike Jones found himself in the clear and slotted past Fielding to end any chances of Dale returning to Spotland with anything.  Pride included.  What made the goal doubly disappointing for me was the identity of the scorer.  Mike Jones had attempted many ‘tricks’ during the game, embarrassing himself on every occasion, so a goal meant I couldn’t take the p*ss anymore.  Shame.  That was the least of my worries as the Bury fans celebrated with more than just taunts.  I saw something fly onto the pitch and looked across to see what it was, discovering that it was a partially filled bottle of Coke.  I looked towards the Bury stand to attempt to identify the perpetrator and saw a sea of bottles flying towards the stand.  A few of my friends in other areas of the stand also reported that golf balls were thrown towards Dale supporters.  All I can say is what a disgrace it is that, in the year 2009, ‘fans’ still act so thoughtlessly and dangerously (a couple of bottles weren’t miles away from me and, more importantly, my girlfriend).  Even more worrying than the blatant hooliganism was the reaction of the stewards and the police.  Two stewards went into the stand to ‘sort things out’.  TWO!  As for the police, the three coppers stood next to me didn’t even flinch.  The whole event was alarming to say the least.

 

After this goal, there was a mass of Rochdale fans heading towards the exits but there was a consolation for the brave few that stayed (including me).  Will Buckley controlled a cross-field pass beautifully, taking the ball beyond the defender in the same movement and calmly slotted the ball beyond the keeper from a tight angle.  It was ample reward for Buckley, who had been magnificent for Rochdale as his team mates floundered.  He was quite clearly ‘up for the game’ and his dribbling had terrorised the Bury defence, tying most of the opposition up in knots at different stages of the game.  After an ‘iffy’ period of form that has seen him fade in and out of the starting line-up, this was just what the highly-rated youngster needed and I was suitably impressed.

 

When the final whistle blew, I headed straight for the exit and kept my head down.  I wasn’t worried about any trouble; I just wanted to get away from the miserable place.  I was depressed.  The next few days will bring with it a League Two media blackout for me.  I know Bury have gone ahead of Dale and that is already too much knowledge- I just don’t want to know.  I can only wish that Tuesday’s game against Bradford, another tough fixture, will grant me a reprieve and banish the memories of Gigg Lane.  If that happens, and Bury fail to beat Morecambe, maybe I can just forget it ever happened…

Barnet Take The Wind Out Of Rochdale’s Sails

While Barnet are a poor side, this Tuesday night fixture was never going to be an easy prospect for Rochdale.  Despite winning their last two games, Dale had to face a somewhat sloping pitch at Underhill.  Not ideal, but barely an excuse as all the other teams in the division have to face the same problem.  What many other teams probably don’t have to face is some truly ferocious weather conditions.  The wind and rain had caused postponements and abandoned fixtures elsewhere so they were hardly aiding Rochdale’s passing game.  There was only one possible result and it went against the form book.

 

It was inevitable that Barnet would take the lead, but it took them until the 42^nd minute.  John O’Flynn, who had earlier struck the bar, slid in to ruin yet another clean sheet for Dale in the fourth meeting between the sides this season.  Dale were unbeaten in the reverse fixture and the two FA Cup ties (of which the replay was a cracker), but it looked like they were heading for defeat here.  On the stroke of half-time, Rochdale defied the odds and drew themselves level.  Nicky Adams delivered the corner, Toner flicked the ball on and McEvilly was on hand to finish.  It was the perfect time to score and came with the added bonus of coming from a corner, a rare occurrence for Rochdale by all accounts.  Listening to talkSPORT, I was hoping that Rochdale could capitalise on the goal and go onto win the game, but it was always going to be difficult.

 

The defining moments came within the last three minutes of the game.  Chris Dagnall continued his miserable season by getting himself sent off.  The striker had only been on the pitch for ten minutes, when he produced a dangerous tackle on Neal Bishop.  He will now be suspended for three matches, missing two promotion clashes against Bury and Bradford as well as the home tie against Rotherham.  Adam Le Fondre may find himself under pressure to perform in these fixtures, especially with no replacement on the bench.  Dale’s plight worsened as the final whistle loomed when Barnet struck the winner.  Dale were under pressure after they had been reduced to ten men and could not hold out to gain a creditable draw in tough conditions.  Yannick Bolasie was the man who struck the winner, firing a low shot beyond Frank Fielding.

 

Needless to say, the 2-1 defeat was not ideal preparation for Satuday’s crucial derby against Bury.  Keith Hill will claim that the derby is by-no-means a promotion decider, but there is no arguing the importance of the match from the fans’ perspective.  Take me, for example.  I am absolutely desperate for a derby day victory after only one win in 11 attempts (thank you, Glenn Murray!), but do I think Dale will come up with one?  No, I don’t.  This loss to Barnet is hardly likely to change my opinion.  UP THE DALE!

Almost Too Easy

Ahead of a big week for Rochdale (the Bury game is looming large), Dale faced Grimsby at Spotland Stadium.  Grimsby have been atrocious this season, but they have a habit of picking up some strange results; such as beating Bury at Gigg Lane and losing to Chester at home.  As a result, Dale had to be wary of a team that they drew with on the opening day of the season, although it didn’t turn out that way.  Not at all.

 

It was all over after 12 minutes and the signs were ominous from the very first.  With just seconds of the game elapsed, a ball across the Grimsby box was set to reach Clark Keltie, who was cynically felled in the area.  It was a stonewall penalty, but I can understand the referee’s reluctance to give a big decision so early in the game.  Maybe he saw it as a statement of intent from Rochdale.  Maybe he was trying to save Grimsby from the punishment that they ultimately received.  Who knows?  Whatever the reason, he must have known it was a definite penalty.  It didn’t matter in the end as Dale took the lead just 4 minutes later.  The ball found its way to Adam Rundle out on the left.  The winger proceeded to cut inside from the right, as he loves to do (despite having a below average right peg at best), and unleashed a shot that took a ‘wicked’ deflection.  That is what the BBC would have you believe.  As it happens, the deflection altered the direction of the ball only slightly and even took almost all of the pace out of it.  Theoretically, this should have helped the goalkeeper, although Wayne Henderson, Grimsby’s keeper, had looked shaky in the early stages of his debut (he moved to the Mariners on loan from Preston only a couple of days earlier).  It didn’t get any better for him as the ball sneaked underneath his hand and trickled into the net.  I think he should have saved it, but I’ll let Mike Newell worry about that and how he was going to get his beleaguered side back in to the game.

 

Still Dale continued to pressurise the Grimsby defence, which now looked in danger of collapsing.  They conceded again with 12 minutes gone and the game was in the bag for Rochdale.  This time, Rundle turned provider with a ball over the preposterously high Grimsby defence and onto the run of Adam Le Fondre.  The green-booted striker took a couple of touches to bring himself into the area and compose himself, before calmly side-footing the ball beyond Henderson.  Mike Newell was incensed that the referee had not ruled out the goal for offside and spent the second half of the match in the stands- he was sent off by the referee at half-time.

 

Grimsby did manage to improve over the rest of the game.  Their best chance fell to Adrian Forbes before the first half was out, although Frank Fielding produced a terrific reaction save to tip the ball onto the bar and then the top of the stand.  Apart from that, they were never in danger of breaching Dale’s defence as Dale saw out the second half with comfort.  To be honest, the second half was dull as Dale missed the odd chance to extend their lead and Grimsby just kept them out.  With Bury coming next week, a more extensive test may have been beneficial to Rochdale’s preparations.  A trip to Barnet on Tuesday will be a much sterner test.  Hopefully, Dale can use it as a ‘springboard’ to derby success.  Hopefully.

Dale Strike Back In The North-East

When it comes to clashes with promotion rivals in their own backyard, I usually settle for a draw.  After the disappointment of four dropped points at home last week, there was no doubt about this one: only a win would do.  Luckily, a terrific performance from Rochdale really put Darlington to the sword and saw Dale march home with all the points.

Though Dale looked solid in defence, Darlo had the better of the primary exchanges.  Despite Darlington’s dominance, Dale used Lee Thorpe and Adam Le Fondre to good effect.  Lee Thorpe, who had been beyond rusty in his previous appearances, was filling his role of target man effectively; providing knockdowns and flick-ons that mean the Darlo defence had to be aware.  The improvement was not extended to Thorpe’s ability to stay onside, however, as he was frequently caught beyond the defensive line.  There is no reason for this as; his role in the team and his experience mean that he should never be caught offside.  Despite this minor annoyance, his contribution to Dale’s counter attacking strategy was immense as he gave Alfie the opportunity to receive the ball where he could hurt the defence.  Le Fondre seemed to be in sensational form and was almost unplayable with his movement and speed.  The opening goal was the perfect example.  The ball was played direct up to Lee Thorpe, who laid the ball off to Scott Wiseman.  The right-back found Le Fondre in the box and he turned the defender before unleashing an unstoppable strike into the top, far corner.  It was a stupendous goal that Dale probably deserved- even though they had less of the general play.

 

A solid performance and one-goal lead were enough to convince me that Dale could make up for the disappointment of Saturday, but these hopes were slightly dented by the loss of Gary Jones just before half-time.  Dale’s inspirational captain suffered a groin injury and had to be replaced by Clark Keltie prior to the interval.  Former Darlington captain, Keltie was given an abusive reception upon his return to the place where he used to ply his trade, becoming the third Dale player to receive a hostile reception as Adam Rundle and Scott Wiseman also previously appeared in the black-and-white of the Quakers.  Despite this loss, Dale managed to get through to half-time unscathed with their 1-0 lead intact.

 

The second half was far more eventful than the first and laden with incident from start to finish.  Just two minutes in and Frank Fielding ‘laid out’ Darlington striker Liam Hatch, stopping the game for 7-8 minutes.  The ball was crossed in from the left and Fielding collected the ball with ease, while simultaneously ‘punching’ Hatch in the face/shoulder (although Fielding had the ball in his hand, so it could hardly be called accidental).  It appeared that he was unconscious, though it later transpired that he had ‘merely’ broken his collar bone.  As he had been knocked out against Droylsden earlier in the season, staying conscious probably caused him to escape an unwanted league record.  This was the full extent of the good news as paramedics were hardly rushing to his aid, while some Rochdale fans were quite unsympathetic.  “Let him die, Let him die, Let him die, Let him die, DIE!” was a tad insensitive and would not be my personal choice, but it was funny (in a guilty way) nonetheless.  Good luck to Liam Hatch with is recovery.

 

When the game did restart, it became the defining period of the game.  The injury must have shaken the players up, but it appeared to have had a surprisingly positive effect on the Quakers, who found their equaliser on the hour.  A set-piece was, once again, Rochdale’s Achilles heel as Pawel Abbott was on hand to punish hesitant defending in his trademark, predatory fashion.  Admittedly, he didn’t know much about it, but Darlo were always going to score from a corner.

 

They were level for two minutes.  While Darlo were always going to score from a corner, Rochdale were always going to score on the break.  The electric Alfie broke away down the right and crossed for the resurgent Adam Rundle, who leapt off the ground before firing a volley past Gerken from close range.  I certainly didn’t expect Dale to hit back so quickly and neither did the drum-toting (Argh!) home fans as stunned silence struck the Darlington Arena.  A minute later, the volume was raised significantly as Ricky Ravenhill was given a straight red.  The Darlington central midfielder flew into his former team mate Scott Wiseman with studs raised and two feet, giving the referee absolutely no alternative but to give him his marching orders.  Darlington’s supporters weren’t happy about the dismissal, but I was over half-of-the-pitch-away from the incident and I knew straight away (for once, without any bias).

 

From then on, Rochdale demonstrated why they are considered to be the best ‘footballing’ side in the division with some sumptuous possession play.  Darlington were chasing the ball for almost all of the rest of the game and Dale saw time out comfortably.  We always felt that the siege would come, especially as there were 9 minutes of injury time, but it never materialised with any force or potency.  One of the reasons for this was the performance of Simon Ramsden at the slightly unfamiliar position of centre-back.  Replacing the ‘injured’ (see dropped; after his woeful weekend performance) Rory McArdle, Rambo was a rock at the back for Rochdale, showing his versatility as his position at right-back has been taken by the ‘immense’ Wiseman.  Hopefully, we can rely on good performances from him- and the other centre-backs -until the end of the season.

 

This was a massive victory over promotion rivals that got Dale back on track.  Although, Darlington went into administration the day after the game and no longer figure in the play-off picture (I saved £5 on the door, how guilty am I?  Not very, it was inevitable.).  That said, it was a good win against a good side and, hopefully, will lead to further success at home to Grimsby on Saturday.  Time To Believe!

How To Throw Away Promotion- Step 2

It seems to tell its own story that it has taken me 5 days to write this post.  If I’m honest, I am still angry.  Rochdale’s home game against Brentford was a chance to kick on after the disappointment of Morecambe and take some points off a team that were challenging for 1st place.  Only more disappointment followed; to my dismay.

It took 9 minutes and the familiar site of Jordan Rhodes (a player I rate very highly indeed) to know it wasn’t going to be Rochdale’s day or the referee’s!  The ball was crossed into the box and went straight through without any problems.  The referee thought otherwise.  There was a Brentford player down in the area, though no-one had seen a thing.  The ref then proceeded to book Nathan Stanton and give a freekick where the ball rolled to and ended up.  Needless to say, everyone in the ground was confused and had no idea what the referee had given.  It later transpired that he was right and gave Stanton a booking for a dissent.  The rule then states that a freekick must be given where the ball ends up- a little known rule at best!  The problem wasn’t the decision though, it was the confusion and sense of injustice that had been awakened in the Rochdale players.  It was no surprise that Rhodes was on hand to then head the ball beyond Fielding from the freekick and put Brentford ahead before the Dale players knew what was happening.  At this point, I was livid and gave the ref a little bit of stick (See: lot of stick).  It could have been handled better by the officials.

Just 6 minutes later and the ineptitude of the Rochdale defending would further raise my ire.  The left winger for Brentford (I’m not great with the Brentford names, but I think it was Wood) managed to pull a rabbit out of a hat and squeezed through two defenders.  He was a bit fortunate that the ball bounced kindly for him, but it was still poor defending.  He then dribbled to the edge of the box before having the simple job of passing to Charlie McDonald, who was never going to miss from close range.  McDonald side-footed the ball into the net and Brentford were two goals clear, leaving Rochdale with severely dented promotion hopes.

Two nil down after 15 minutes against the top side in the league and a ray of light was needed.  Sure enough, a ray of light did appear on 37 minutes, though, if I’m honest, it was more of a chink of light but you have to take what you can get.  Ryan Dickson didn’t anticipate that the cross would come all the way through to him and he handled it in the area.  Penalty.  Brentford weren’t best pleased and I honestly thought it could go either way.  In the end it didn’t matter as TK stepped up and converted the spot-kick.  Dale were back in at and, at half-time, it appeared there were more goals in this game.

How wrong can you be?  The second half was as close to a non-event as you are ever likely to see.  Here’s how it went; Dale move upfield, meet Brentford defence, Brentford break away and the usually-clinical Rhodes misses a one-on-one.  There were exceptions to this rule though.  For example; McArdle gets ball, McArdle gets caught in possession, Rhodes misses; was also a popular occurence.  Rory McArdle was truly awful.  He was so slow that I actually wondered what time zone he was in, although he has been magnificent for the last two seasons so I’ll let him off.  That said, Dale did manage to muster a few attempts on goal.  Most notably, causing Hamer to make a desperate double save with only minutes to spare.

On a side note- By late in the game, Brentford had sent on Elders upfront.  This striker would chase every ball, push the defender over then trudge back.  I thought it may be necessary to thank him for his efforts in helping Rochdale to retain possession.  Thank you Elders!

On a serious note, this defeat stemmed from the draw against Morecambe earlier in the week.  Morecambe’s last minute equaliser is likely to have had a derogatory effect on team morale as it may have felt like a defeat.  Consequently, the players’ perfomances may have suffered against Brentford.  It is definitely going to take something special to turn this around, awat at Darlington.  Can Dale do it?  They have a knack of recovering from losses.  Here’s hoping as, otherwise, automatic promotion may soon slip out of Dale’s grasp.

How To Throw Away Promotion- Step 1

The importance of the home game against Morecambe could not be underestimated.  With many tough games in the coming weeks, a fifth successive win was absolutely essential to maintain form into the games that could decide Rochdale’s fate.  Consequently, the morale-denting draw that followed could have a very detrimental effect on Rochdale’s promotion charge.  I can only hope that the players can lift themselves for the massive game against Brentford on Saturday.

It was the usual story in the first half.  Dale played the ball around the park in a slick fashion but struggled to gain the elusive first goal.  Chris Dagnall came the closest, but the miss typified a struggle of a season for the striker.  Some excellent build-up play got Dagnall into the box in a great position and he struck the ball across the ‘keeper and into the inside of the post.  Of course, the ball bounced out instead of nestling into the back of net.  This was particularly annoying for me; I was right behind the ball all the way and it looked to be in  (sigh).  It had been an annoying fixture all night to be honest.  It was a ‘kid for a quid’ day, which meant that all the under-16s got in for just £1.  It was pandemonium when I arrived with ticket queues all over the place.  I hate myself for becoming so elitist, but I do hate fan days.  While it is great for a Tuesday night game when attendances are lower anyway, I know that the 600 that boosted that attendance will NOT be back on Saturday.  I also cannot stand the influx of kids who have no interest in the game and spend their time running around the stand.  I do not want to become a fan who refuses to accept the casual fans despite the financial gain, but it is difficult not to be irritated by their ambivalence.  Back to the game, 0-0 at half time was disappointing, but it was a matter of time.

It certainly was.  It took just 5 minutes of the second half for the previously-inneffective Will Buckley to produce a moment of magic.  After being found by the excellent Nicky Adams (he’s here for another month!), Will Buckley showed bulletproof composure from the side of the box to curl the ball around Barry Roche’s outstretched hand and into the corner of the net.  It was a sensational finish and recent form suggested that the goal may be enough, but I wouldn’t be relying on that!  There was one hurdle that Dale would almost certainly have to overcome:  Rene Howe.

  Morecambe’s on-loan striker had spent half of the previous season at Rochdale, so it was inevitable that he would score.  He got one chance.  Wayne Curtis held the ball up on the edge of the area and noticed Rene Howe streaking down the right and fed him with the ball.  My heart sank, it was surely going in.  Howe, thankfully, flashed it wide.  Maybe Dale would win after all.

Lee Thorpe did is upmost to scupper this outcome.  Having replaced Dagnall on 72 minutes, he was supposed to be the target man and outlet that Dale had lacked in the match (Dale had played a 4-5-1 with Thompson, Buckley and Dagnall taking it in turns to be the striker with mixed results), but Thorpe had been out for a few months and oozed rustiness.  Thorpe seemed uninterested in (or unable to) chasing the ball down and putting pressure on defenders.  He also was caught offside three times, which for a 33 year old striker with no pace is inexplicable.  That said, he had Dale’s best opportunity.  Adams (my man-of-the-match, beating off stiff competition from Tom Kennedy and Scott Wiseman) was the provider, once again, and left Thorpe just yards from goal with an easy finish.  It was so easy, in fact, that me and the rest of the fans in the TDS stand (WMG in old money) celebrated as soon as we saw the connection from his foot from our distant view.  When Morecambe’s ‘keeper Barry Roche stopped the ball on the line, their fans took obvious joy from our haste, leading to much embarassment.

From then on, Morecambe sieged Dale’s area with an onslaught that continued up until injury time- when disaster struck.  Barry Roche had come up for a corner and caused confusion, though Dale managed to clear.  The ball came straight back though and on to the foot of Michael Twiss, who poked the ball beyond Frank Fielding.  Two points dropped.

The method in which these points were dropped is sure to affect the players.  Going in to games against the likes of Brentford and Darlington (our next two fixtures), this could halt progress and puncture any hopes of a spectacular drive for glory.  On the other hand, it could spur the players on.  Let’s hope for the latter!