Rochdale’s resilience keeps title charge on track

 

Tyler Smith has the speed, now we want the finish.

If bounce-back-ability really is the mark of a good side, then by mid-October Rochdale were beginning to look like a very good one indeed. Each time Jim McNulty’s men had been knocked off course this season, they responded with purpose − and points. The convincing win over Yeovil Town was no exception, coming just a week after an FA Cup exit at the hands of York City.

It was another performance that reaffirmed Dale’s resilience and stretched their formidable league form to 11 wins from 13 outings. In truth, this was as routine as they come − a composed, measured display that spoke volumes about the maturity and mindset of a team quietly going about its business at the sharp end of the table.

Quite simply, Rochdale produced another professional performance, brushing aside Yeovil with an authority that never required them to shift out of second gear.

There was a notable absentee from the matchday squad as Ethan Ebanks-Landell missed out following the birth of his son earlier in the day − a happy milestone that, fortunately for Dale, did little to unsettle the rhythm of a side increasingly comfortable in its own skin.

From the opening whistle, it was clear Rochdale had too much for their visitors. The first half was a lesson in controlled aggression and sharp, purposeful possession. Yeovil had fleeting spells of early promise − more down to fortune than threat − but were soon penned back by waves of Rochdale pressure. By the interval, the 3-0 scoreline flattered the visitors, with only profligate finishing or bad luck preventing a more emphatic margin.

Rochdale wasted no time asserting their authority, opening the scoring inside five minutes through the ever-reliable Mani Dieseruvwe. But it wasn’t just the finish that stood out − it was the build-up. The move featured a long sequence of passes − across the pitch, sideways and backwards − a patient, probing rhythm that felt like the culmination of years of structured planning. When the gap finally appeared, Kyron Gordon burst in behind on the right and delivered an inch-perfect ball across the box, where Dieseruvwe arrived with poise to tap home his 11th goal of the season from close range. It was another example of Dale’s trademark routine − an outside centre-back crossing for the centre-forward to score − something that looks simple only because of the meticulous repetition behind it on the training ground.

The second was a textbook counter, as Devante Rodney seized space in midfield and surged forward with intent. A slight tactical tweak saw him drift centrally more often, and Yeovil never looked sure who should track him. His perfectly weighted pass carved open the defence, and Dieseruvwe, brimming with confidence, took a single touch before dispatching a clinical finish low into the far corner − an outcome that felt inevitable from the moment the move began.

The third arrived just before the interval, capping a first half of near-total control. Aidan Barlow fed Dieseruvwe, who worked his way through a congested penalty area. Though his path to goal was blocked, the loose ball broke kindly for Ryan East, who made no mistake in steering home his third of the campaign.

After the break, the narrative barely shifted. Rochdale continued to dictate proceedings, carving out chance after chance but failing to convert any of their many opportunities. Yet, such was their command of the match that the result never felt in doubt. The second half became a chance to manage legs and minutes, with several fringe players given valuable time on the pitch − a luxury few sides can afford so routinely.

But if there were any doubts about depth, both Liam Hogan and Tarryn Allarakhia laid them to rest. The latter, in particular, was electric − constantly stretching Yeovil’s shape and offering a dynamic outlet that created space for others. Against more compact or challenging away-day opponents, someone like Kevin Berkoe is key, but Allarakhia’s influence in matches such as this can’t be overstated.

All told, it was another professional performance. Rochdale weren’t just the better side − they dictated every phase of the game and continue to look like a team with more gears yet to shift through.

Next came the trip to Surrey: Dale visited Woking, a club marooned in the lower reaches of the National League, and fans − buoyed by the emphatic dispatching of Yeovil the week before − travelled south in confident mood. Rochdale’s faithful had every reason to believe another commanding performance was in store. And, in many ways, it was. The game was played almost exclusively in one half; a siege met with stubborn defiance. Dale dominated the ball for long spells, but where the swagger and incision of Yeovil had been, there lingered only industry and frustration.

The same moves that sliced through defences a week earlier now faltered in their final act. Crosses fizzed through the six-yard box unclaimed, half-chances skittered wide. The ruthless precision that defined the victory at Spotland was replaced by a chorus of “if onlys”.

Credit, too, to Woking goalkeeper Will Jääskeläinen − agile, alert, and in no mood to oblige Rochdale’s ambitions. In the instances where the visitors were more precise, his interventions denied Dale a lead and ultimately preserved a point for the home side.

Defensively, Rochdale remained composed − perhaps even too composed. The odd Woking counter never looked truly menacing, even if, on reflection, it might have warranted more alarm. Still, this is a side whose back line has conceded only seven times in 14 league outings; assurance, it seems, has become part of the club’s DNA.

The ongoing left wing-back selection remained a point of quiet debate. Here, Kevin Berkoe was restored to the starting line-up but it was substitute Tarryn Allarakhia who once again caught the eye. For the tactical arm-wrestles against promotion contenders − Carlisle, Forest Green, York to come − Berkoe’s more disciplined approach may have its merits. Yet in matches like this, where Dale all but annex the opposition half, it is Allarakhia’s flair, his willingness to drive, cross and improvise, that offers a richer threat. His late deliveries into the box were not only a personal showcase, but a timely reminder to his teammates of the rewards that can come from attacking the air rather than the angles.

In the end, Rochdale were one scrambled goalmouth effort away from another good win. Instead, the ball stayed out, and two points slipped quietly away. Such is football’s familiar cruelty − a game of fine margins and frustrated sighs, where even dominance can feel like defeat. Still, the result means Dale end October at the summit of the National League table with two games in hand on their immediate rivals for the crown.

There was no way through for Mani D at Woking.

The month’s activity wasn’t quite finished there, however, as the much-maligned National League Cup returned to the midweek calendar. This time Dale hosted Manchester United’s fledging side, losing 2-0.

There are evenings in football when the outcome seems almost secondary − when the result itself feels like a footnote. This was one of those nights: a low-key fixture that felt more like a training exercise than a competitive match. With Dale’s fringe players given their chance to impress again, the game drifted by with little of the spark or intensity that had coloured the previous two ties against Premier League 2 sides.

Perhaps that was inevitable. The National League Cup, for all its intentions, struggles to inspire much energy from either the stands or the pitch. The fringe players, many of whom are still learning each other’s rhythms together in a complete XI, demonstrated a tardiness in possession that has been a rare Dale trait under Jim McNulty. It wasn’t disastrous − just oddly flat. It’s hard to take much from the game, beyond a gentle reminder of how tough it can be to find cohesion when minutes are scarce.

Still, there were glimmers worth noting. Casey Pettit, in particular, looked tidy and composed, echoing the promise he showed in pre-season. He remains a player many supporters expected to see more of by now, and performances like this one − gritty but assured − suggest his moment may yet come.

Up front, Tyler Smith worked hard, his pace occasionally unsettling the opposition, but questions linger over whether he offers enough beyond that raw speed. Levi Amantchi too, showed only in flashes what he could offer in this role and was guilty of missing what was perhaps Dale’s best chance on the night. By contrast, when Dale have a striker willing to make clever runs and link play − as we see with Mani Dieseruvwe or saw last season whenever Ian Henderson led the line − the attack seems to hum with greater purpose.

As the rain began to fall, attention turned to another familiar concern: the pitch. The surface, already showing signs of strain, will surely become a talking point again as the winter months close in. The club have promised an update on plans to mitigate the issue “in due course,” but, on nights like this − when the rain slicks the turf and the ball skips unevenly − that promise feels increasingly urgent.

A free weekend now awaits Dale, due to the lack of participation in this year’s FA Cup. It is a welcome break as the coming schedule shows no mercy. Eight matches in 26 days, including the final National League Cup group clash, will push every sinew of this squad. With four consecutive Tuesday nights to navigate, and another England U-19 call-up for Ollie Whatmuff, the coming month will lay bare just how deep Rochdale’s resources truly run.

As always, my thanks to TVOS/Dan Youngs/Rochdale AFC for use of images.

Between triumph and frustration: Rochdale’s early October balancing act

 

Despite defeat to Halifax, Sam Beckwith has been a standout at the back.

October brought with it not only the copper hues and falling leaves of autumn, but also a first jolt in Rochdale’s relentless charge. The freight train that thundered so irresistibly through Carlisle at September’s end seemed, for the first time, to meet the hoardings. A second league defeat of the campaign, and the first at Spotland, reminded us that even in seasons of promise the track will not always run smooth.

Halifax were the culprits, edging a 2–1 win on an evening where McNulty’s three changes to his starting XI never quite clicked. In hindsight, the omission of Devante Rodney especially gave Dale a different look. Aidy Barlow and Conor McBride buzzed but were too alike in their movements, leaving Halifax’s back line largely untroubled through the first half. The visitors were well-drilled, compact and ruthless when chances came: two looks at goal, two goals scored, Josh Hmami with both. Suddenly, Dale were staring at a mountain.

Only from the 60th minute, with a flurry of substitutions and Rodney restored to the front line, did the familiar Dale intensity return. Rodney halved the deficit with a lovely low curled finish and, from there, wave after wave of pressure finally put Halifax on the back foot. The visitors, previously so composed, began to unravel, and chances flowed. Mani Dieseruvwe saw one ruled out for handball, Tarryn Allarakhia, Ryan East and Kyron Gordon all went agonisingly close, and the equaliser seemed inevitable. Somehow, it never came. Dale finished with the volume and purpose of Carlisle away, but without the freight-train momentum from that start that had defined that performance.

Were the changes costly, and do they appear a mistake in retrospect? Undoubtedly. But even with a few players below their usual standards, Dale still did enough to merit at least a point − that would have been the fair reflection. A larger-than-usual Spotland crowd may have left frustrated, but they were served a fiercely competitive game and, in the final half-hour at least, a proper Dale onslaught. A few of us half expected this defeat pre-match anyway. Halifax always seem to ‘turn up’ at Spotland. I think I’ve seen Rochdale win more times at The Shay than I have on home turf.

The Halifax setback raised questions about balance in attack, and the response from the club was swift. Within days, Dale had bolstered their forward options with the arrival of free-agent Tyler Smith. With a solid EFL pedigree, a family link through brother Kyron Gordon, and past experience both at Rochdale on loan and under coach Jason Taylor at Barrow, Smith brought both quality and familiarity.

He didn’t have long to settle before being thrust straight into the thick of things either. His debut as a substitute came in the most testing of environments: away at Forest Green Rovers, league leaders at kick-off and a side many expect to be in the promotion shake-up come spring. For Rochdale, it was the perfect opportunity to respond to the Halifax result with authority, and to prove once more that their ambitions are not simply to compete with the division’s best, but to outplay them.

And respond they did. Rochdale ultimately secured a vital and hard-fought victory on a tense afternoon that saw them replace their hosts at the summit of the table. The breakthrough came at the perfect moment − on the stroke of half-time − when Gordon powered home a commanding header from a corner, capping off a well-contested first half.

Forest Green Rovers threatened early, with Christian Doidge and Kairo Mitchell combining to force a fine save from Ollie Whatmuff inside the opening minute. That save ultimately proved pivotal. Dale responded with chances of their own, as both Dieseruvwe and Rodney went close. While Rovers were sharper in transition, Dale's more patient build-up play proved equally effective, with both sides enjoying periods of pressure.

The second half saw a shift in tempo, with Dale content to manage the game rather than chase a second. They defended with discipline, showed game management savvy, and embraced the darker arts when needed to frustrate the hosts − a tactic that contributed to a hefty 11 minutes of added time. Despite that, Rochdale remained largely untroubled, and debutant Tyler Smith twice had golden opportunities to put the game beyond doubt late on. Had he converted, it would have marked a special moment with both brothers on the scoresheet.

Still, the result was never in doubt, and the final whistle confirmed a statement win. Impressively, Dale had now beaten each of the three sides directly below them in the standings − away from home and without conceding a goal − a run that underlined their growing credentials as serious promotion contenders.

Kyron Gordon grabbed the all-important winner against FGR.

And while he didn’t score in this particular game, Mani Dieseruvwe’s unerring eye for goal was recognised with the National League’s Player of the Month award for September − his second in succession.

Four goals in three games tell part of the story − braces against both Braintree Town and Carlisle United sealing crucial 2–0 victories − but it was the manner of his performances that truly set him apart. Dieseruvwe led the line with an authority that made Rochdale’s attack feel inevitable; defenders bounced off him, teammates thrived around him, and chances seemed to find him by gravitational pull.

That he followed up August’s accolade with another is testament not only to his consistency but also to the system McNulty has built to get the best from him. And in doing so, Rochdale make a little slice of history: the first club to claim three of the season’s first four monthly awards, after McNulty’s own Manager of the Month nod in August.

But while Dieseruvwe is a new arrival and a symbol of McNulty’s willingness to evolve, there’s an equal emphasis on stability running through this squad. That balance between renewal and continuity was neatly captured as Ryan East and Harvey Gilmour each marked their 100th appearances for the club − milestones that speak to the steady core underpinning Rochdale’s progress.

That sense of continuity offered reassurance amid the constant churn of the season − and it wasn’t long before the focus shifted again. A brief diversion from league duty as Rochdale welcomed fellow National League contenders York City to Spotland in the final qualifying round of the FA Cup.

By this point, it was becoming clear that injuries weren’t the only threat to McNulty’s carefully balanced squad − international recognition had joined the list. Remarkably, Dale lost players to both hemispheres: Tarryn Allarakhia received a call-up for Tanzania's World Cup Qualifier action, while first-choice goalkeeper Ollie Whatmuff earned a place in the England U19 squad for a pair of friendlies. It was the latter’s absence that would tell most immediately, with Rochdale confirming the loan signing of goalkeeper Jackson Smith, the 23-year-old joining on a short-term deal from Barnsley, bringing fresh EFL experience and assurance between the posts.

Playing what many believe to be Dale’s strongest XI against a York outfit who themselves made only two changes probably contributed to what unfolded − a tense, tactical battle where neither side seemed willing to overcommit. York’s shape mirrored Rochdale’s almost perfectly, and their patience in possession was rewarded by moments of discomfort at the back. Twice, errors in defence forced Jackson Smith into important debut saves that spared Dale from falling behind before the break.

After the restart, a stunning strike from former Dale man Alex Newby punctured the rhythm of the contest and highlighted a recurring weakness − a lack of presence outside the box at set pieces. Dale didn’t learn from it in the 90, though one suspects they will for the future. Yet, amid the frustration, there were encouraging signs. A shift in shape following a raft of substitutions saw Dieseruvwe joined up front by Levi Amantchi, with Tyler Smith and McBride offering width and Gilmour left to anchor the midfield alone − a task he handled admirably. The changes brought renewed energy, culminating in a deserved equaliser and a spell where Dale looked the likelier side to progress.

However, the next wave of substitutions unsettled the balance once more − a point McNulty himself acknowledged afterwards. The resulting York winner from Newby, again from outside the box and one Smith will feel he could have done better with, was perhaps a fair outcome on the balance of play. The visitors looked one of the most complete and composed sides Dale have faced this season, and their performance carried the air of a genuine contender.

Among the individual performances, Kevin Berkoe again proved a dependable presence down the left, steady and diligent in his defensive work. Yet for all his reliability, Dale lost a degree of dynamism on that flank. Our opponents learned that by pinning him back as a full-back, they effectively nullified Rochdale’s attacking threat on that side. The knock-on effect was felt by Beckwith, whose natural instinct to drive forward and overlap was stifled without a more adventurous partner ahead of him – something Tarryn Allarakhia, for instance, provides instinctively. It’s not a criticism of Berkoe’s application, but rather a reflection of how fine the margins are in personnel, where balance and bravery in wide areas so often dictate the tempo of Dale’s play. Perhaps it is the greatest illustration of how much we miss the injured Joe Pritchard, who possesses the complete balance for such games.

Anyway, a dress rehearsal for when the two meet in the league perchance, with Dale having some definite adjustments to make.

As always, thanks to TVOS/Dan Youngs/Rochdale AFC for use of photos.