Storms, statement wins and a side coming of age

 

Spotland: Wetter than a haddock's bathing costume.

Two games to end September, two very different challenges, and Rochdale rose to both. First came the sparkle of a four-goal dismantling of Solihull, then the authority of a clinical win away at promotion rivals Carlisle. McNulty’s side look every inch contenders, blending movement, control and belief into performances that carry real weight. Long may the form continue – and long may the pitch beneath them hold firm.

Torrential rain may have been the deciding factor as to why the Southend game cannot be added to the above list but, for Rochdale AFC, the issue runs deeper than a saturated surface. The call-off was a reminder − not just of the elements, but of a longer-standing problem at Spotland.

Postponements like this, in any greater frequency, risk disrupting first-team rhythm and results, and threaten to create the kind of spring fixture congestion we saw last season, when a string of winter postponements left Rochdale cramming crucial games into the very period where clear heads and steady form are most valuable.

Supporter reaction has, understandably, been mixed. Some rightly point to the context: the Ogden family have already injected millions into the club, with more to come. For a team at this level, finding an estimated £1.5 million to fully resolve the pitch issue isn’t a simple decision − especially when millions have already been committed and stadium plans were still in flux earlier this summer.

And those arguments carry weight. This isn’t an easy fix. The pitch covers brought in instead can only go so far − especially with a high-water table and the kind of deluge seen before the Southend game. This is the North West though − downpours aren’t exactly a shock, even if this particular torrent was abnormal for September.

Behind the scenes, the effort to get the game on was committed, if ultimately futile. By 3pm, more than 20mm of rain had fallen in a torrential burst that overwhelmed already saturated covers. Volunteers worked tirelessly with moppers but, as puddles reformed behind them, it became clear that only industrial equipment − a ride-on vacuum system, for example − could have made any real difference. Those who showed up gave everything. But, without such tools, even a bigger group may not have changed the outcome.

As one voice put it: “Who says we didn’t do all we could?” That frustration is fair. No one doubts the effort behind the scenes.

But effort alone won’t stop this from becoming a real problem. When a squad has been competitively assembled to challenge, the last thing anyone wants is to see that momentum threatened by a playing surface that simply can’t cope. It begins as an annoyance. It ends up feeling like an unnecessary handicap.

This isn’t a new issue. Certain areas of the Spotland pitch have long struggled with even modest rainfall − let alone the kind of monsoon that rolled in the previous weekend. To be fair, the board themselves were upfront in the summer: without a full rebuild, there was always going to be a risk of difficulties once the rain returned.

The drainage issues long predate the Ogdens’ tenure, of course, and earlier remedial work has never offered a lasting solution. Until now, a dry start to the season has papered over the cracks. But when the referee drops a ball in the centre circle of a pitch that has been covered, and watches it stick, then aquaplane and stop dead, the decision becomes inevitable. The area in front of the Sandy Lane End was even worse.

Quite how so much water managed to find its way beneath the covers is a question left hanging in the air for now.

You can't help but worry that, once again, we may be gambling with form. There’s also a psychological side that shouldn’t be underestimated. Games in hand may look like an advantage on paper, but players rarely see it that way − a table that shows Rochdale sitting lower than their performances deserve can nag at confidence until those points are physically earned.

And it’s not just players affected. Southend fans made the trip this time − only to head home early. Last season, Boston supporters were twice turned around mid-journey. These aren’t isolated events. They chip away at the club’s reputation. And, like it or not, that’s how ‘tinpot’ labels start to stick − even if they’re unfair.

To be clear, this isn’t about undermining the owners. Their financial support has been transformational − and, frankly, lifesaving. But delaying the pitch work could still come at a cost, especially if this winter proves as wet as most. Fixture congestion, momentum lost − none of it helps. Of course, we might get lucky: the covers and the regime for implementing them could hold, and Dale may lose no more games to the weather than any other club in the depths of winter. At this stage, though, it’s impossible to say.

This isn’t scapegoating. It’s about being realistic. A side with real promise shouldn’t be tripped up by the turf beneath their boots. If the work is coming in 2026, good − but let’s hope the wait doesn’t end up being the difference between a successful season and a missed opportunity.

For fans starved of their football fix, it was meant to be the main course. Two top sides, live on TV, a proper Saturday night under the lights − the kind of fixture you mark in the calendar with a thick red circle.

Instead, nothing. No football, no drama, just the hollow thud of frustration and a reminder that even in the slick world of modern football, some things remain stubbornly unpredictable.

But amid the grumbling − and there was plenty − it’s worth pausing to remember where we were just 18 months ago. No lights, no cameras, no certainties. Teetering on the brink, unsure whether there’d even be a club to support the next week, never mind prime-time showdowns to complain about.

None of this eases the disappointment for those who made plans, booked travel, or simply wanted to see two proper sides go at it. But perspective doesn’t dampen frustration − it reminds us why it matters.

Levi Amantchi filled the No.9 boots against Solihull.

Mercifully, a referee’s inspection two days later confirmed the Spotland turf fit for Tuesday’s clash with Solihull Moors, ensuring Dale’s inaction stretched to only one game – and there was no sign of the disruption curtailing form as the visitors were dispatched four goals to one in yet another dominant and convincing performance from McNulty’s players.

Despite hot-shot No.9 Emmanuel Dieseruvwe serving a one-match suspension, three goals inside the opening 20 minutes effectively settled the evening. The head coach’s decision to push Ryan East further forward, leaving Harvey Gilmour to anchor midfield alone at times, gave Dale an extra runner that Solihull simply couldn’t pick up. The switch in shape caught the visitors cold, and in East Dale found the unexpected spearhead of that first-half storm. Twice he arrived late in the box, timing his runs with the precision of a seasoned finisher akin to Bryan Robson, and twice he converted − his first goals of the season, both the product of fluid, purposeful moves. Devante Rodney added the third, and by then the visitors were scrambling for answers, reshuffling conspicuously just to stem the tide.

Even after the interval, with the game already won, the patterns of play remained. Dale’s commitment to circulation − recycling possession patiently when no forward ball is on − was evident, but so too was the movement that makes those passes count when confidence is high. The fourth goal was a perfect example: sharp interplay carved open space down the left, Sam Beckwith arriving to sweep home his first of the campaign with his weaker foot. Solihull pulled one back as their improvement finally told, but it barely registered. The damage had long been done.

What lingered was less the scoreline than the manner of it. The football was slick, incisive, a step beyond some of the more efficient wins that had preceded it. The first half in particular will live longer in the memory − a reminder that, on nights like these, this Dale side can dazzle as well as dominate.

Yet the sternest examination of the season so far was still to come. With Southend washed away by postponement, Rochdale’s first true meeting with a fellow National League heavyweight instead arrived at Brunton Park against Carlisle. A strong travelling contingent of Daleys braved the elements, huddled together on the blustery, exposed Petteril terrace, ready to see just how far this side had really come. Dale entered the clash sitting second in the table with Carlisle just behind in third, the Cumbrians still smarting from a midweek mauling by promotion rivals York City − a bruising setback that left them dangerous, wounded and desperate to respond.

The question, asked all season, was whether Dale could ‘do it’ on a Saturday afternoon at the likes of Carlisle. The answer came swiftly and emphatically: yes. Emmanuel Dieseruvwe struck twice in a 2–0 win that made it six National League victories on the spin, a performance as authoritative as it was impressive.

The tone was set inside six minutes. Sam Beckwith’s overlapping run on the left pulled Carlisle’s back line apart, the ball cut back into the path of Dieseruvwe, who bullied it over the line under pressure from Carlisle keeper Breeze. From that moment, Dale played with the conviction of a side that believed they belonged at this level’s summit. Carlisle tried to match up but were repeatedly undone by the movement of Devante Rodney, Connor McBride and Ryan East buzzing around a spearheading Dieseruvwe. Harvey Gilmour, again imperious at the base, dictated tempo, while both wide centre-backs pressed high to support the wing-backs and suffocate the home side’s attempts to build.

Mani D just cannot stop scoring.

If anything, the only frustration was that the scoreline remained slender for so long. Rochdale carved out chance after chance in a sparkling first half that might have yielded four or five with sharper finishing. When the second finally arrived on 56 minutes, it was worth the wait: Dieseruvwe received the ball from Rodney as he ran into space, driving it low into the bottom corner with a finish of pure authority and the composure of a man who now expects to score with every shot taken. It was the strike that broke Carlisle’s resistance, and it wrapped the game as a contest.

What followed was maturity. Rather than overextend, Dale managed the game with a calm assurance that belied the conditions. They dropped off when required, absorbed pressure without panic and used their substitutions to add solidity and fresh legs. It was intelligent, confident football: an away performance that combined incision with control.

By the time the final whistle sounded, it was hard to avoid the sense that this was a statement win. To leave Brunton Park with three points, and to do so feeling faintly disappointed it wasn’t by a wider margin, says much about the standards McNulty’s men are setting. Carlisle and their illustrious manager had been tactically out-thought and thoroughly outplayed. For Rochdale, it was not just another victory − it was evidence, against a direct rival, that this side are the real deal.

Dale fans (even this one) left Brunton Park delighted.

As always thanks to The Voice of Spotland/Dan Youngs/Rochdale AFC for use of photos.

Resilient Rochdale march on, but talisman’s suspension will test their depth

 

Devante Rodney in action against Braintree.

Rochdale head into mid-September perched proudly at the top of the National League table, their only blemish the ill-fated rotation gamble at Brackley.

Nine wins from ten in all competitions have blended fluency with resilience, delivering both entertainment and efficiency. What has emerged is a side not simply riding momentum but forging an identity: disciplined at the back, flexible in approach and propelled by the relentless goals of Emmanuel Dieseruvwe. For all the usual cautions about early-season form, Dale could hardly have hoped for a firmer platform.

They began the month in style. Naming an unchanged side for the visit of Braintree, Rochdale played with purpose from the outset. Most of the early threat came down the right, where Aidy Barlow orchestrated attacks and twice supplied Dieseruvwe with headed chances that were directed too close to the goalkeeper.

It took a rare foray down the opposite flank to unlock the visitors. Tarryn Allarakhia swung in a superb cross that the prolific No.9 guided home with trademark precision. His second arrived soon after, a neat exchange with Tobi Adebayo-Rowling ending with another composed finish. At that stage Braintree were reeling, and Dale might reasonably have felt aggrieved not to be four or five ahead by the interval.

The visitors, to their credit, rallied after the break. A couple of substitutions and a greater willingness to contest the game higher up the pitch gave them a foothold in midfield that they retained for much of the half. Rochdale, though, defended with authority, Ethan Ebanks-Landell again outstanding, with the side still carrying a late threat through substitute Connor McBride.

The final whistle confirmed the 2-0 victory and another three points, the type of fixture Dale simply must take care of if they are to sustain their ambitions. It was also one that provided ample entertainment for the Spotland crowd. Jim McNulty’s side were, at this stage, delivering everything asked of them.

Momentum only grew in the days that followed, as Rochdale’s record-breaking start to the season drew wider recognition. Under McNulty’s guidance they had played seven games, winning six, collecting 18 points and scoring 15 goals. At the heart of it all was Dieseruvwe, whose seven goals in seven matches gave the side a cutting edge so often absent in recent seasons.

The numbers spoke for themselves. Five consecutive home wins in all competitions from the start of a season − the first time since 1985/86, and only the fourth occasion in the club’s history. Four straight league victories at Spotland to open a campaign − again the first since that same season, and just the seventh overall. Most striking of all, 18 points from the opening seven league fixtures: a new Rochdale record, eclipsing the 17-point returns of 1991/92 and 2001/02.

The accolades duly followed. McNulty was named National League Manager of the Month for August, while Dieseruvwe’s irrepressible form earned him Player of the Month. It was a month of milestones that underlined just how far, and how quickly, the mood around the club had shifted from the despondency of last season’s play-off defeat.

The challenge then was to carry that form on the road, beginning with a daunting 345-mile journey to face Truro City. The Cornish side, new to the division and second bottom at the time, looked on paper the ideal opponents. The question was whether Dale could turn expectation into execution.

As it transpired, they could. The trip yielded another three points, though not without its tests. In the first half Rochdale repeatedly found pockets of space in the final third, areas from which they might have punished Truro more ruthlessly. Barlow’s positional freedom again caught the eye, his ability to drift creating new avenues of attack. It was, however, a slightly scruffy goal that gave Dale the lead. In the 12th minute, Ryan East’s corner caused chaos, Kyron Gordon hauled down as goalkeeper George Stone was caught in the melee. Even grounded, Gordon stayed alive to the moment, rising just enough to nod the loose ball over the line from close range. Had Dieseruvwe then converted what, by his standards, was a simple chance, the contest might have been put to bed as swiftly as Braintree a week earlier.

Instead, the second half brought complications. A blend of blustery conditions and sloppy passing left Rochdale struggling to retain possession. In isolation it was probably their poorest 45 minutes of the season on the ball, the basics of control and distribution too often going awry. Some of that could be put down to the wind and Truro's changes, yet the decision to go long from goal kicks also reflected a growing adaptability in McNulty’s side − a willingness to adjust when conditions demanded it.

What did not falter was the defensive structure. Organised, resolute and calm under pressure, Dale limited Truro to half-chances, leaving goalkeeper Oliver Whatmuff to do little more than marshal his area with authority. There was no panic, no sense of fragility – just a collective assurance that has become increasingly tangible. Against stronger sides that resolve will be tested more severely, but embedding such an attitude early feels an important step in Rochdale’s development.

Harvey Gilmour drives through the Truro midfield.

The only blemish on the trip came when Dieseruvwe collected his fifth yellow card of the campaign. The caution brings a one-match suspension under league rules and will deprive Rochdale of their in-form striker for their next vital league outing. Given the rhythm he has found in front of goal, his absence will be felt, though it will also offer an early glimpse of how McNulty’s side can adapt without their focal point.

Dieseruvwe will not be the only enforced absentee. Injuries have begun to bite, particularly at left wing-back, where summer signing David Tutonda faces four to six weeks out after a training setback. Joe Pritchard, so impressive before his knock against Sutton, also remains sidelined. The club has chosen a conservative, non-surgical path in his recovery, though a further assessment in six weeks will decide whether an operation − and a much longer absence − becomes unavoidable. To plug the gap, McNulty has turned to the loan market, bringing in Kevin Berkoe from Salford City. His arrival provides short-term cover, but the situation serves as a reminder of how quickly even an increased squad depth can be stretched across a long campaign.

The National League Cup brought another opportunity to rotate, and Rochdale duly made it two wins from two in the competition with a 3-2 victory over Blackburn Rovers' Under-21s. A much-changed XI again took the field, but the evening carried a welcome twist in the return of Matty Done. Now part of McNulty’s coaching staff, the 37-year-old was pressed back into action for what became his fourth playing spell at the club.

Dale began brightly, Connor McBride continuing his impressive run of form by finishing off a well-constructed move. His sharpness and composure in front of goal with each chance he is given seems to enhance his case for greater involvement in the league side − a dilemma McNulty may soon be glad to have.

While the forwards seemed to be having joy, the defensive reshuffles left gaps, and Blackburn twice took advantage of some passive defending to turn the game around and lead at the break. The response came after the interval. Anthony Gomez-Mancini, lively once again, levelled with his first goal for the club after neat interplay down the left. His replacement after injury, Jake Burger, proved just as effective, bustling into space to apply the finish that secured the win.

Two sterner league examinations now await to close out September, with Southend and Carlisle lying in wait, Solihull Moors sandwiched between. Together they promise the clearest gauge yet of how far Rochdale have travelled since last season, when too often the bigger occasions brought flatter performances. That judgment is not without nuance − Dale did take 16 points from fellow play-off contenders Altrincham, Halifax and Gateshead − but it was the 4-0 home reverses to Barnet and York that linger most painfully, suggesting a side too respectful of opponents they ought to have treated as equals. The hope now is for a more assertive account, one that reflects the confidence this start has instilled.

David Tutonda is out for up to six weeks.

As always, many thanks to The Voice of Spotland/Dan Youngs/Rochdale AFC for use of images.