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| Jim McNulty looks on as the pitch work proves futile. |
Rochdale AFC began December by hosting Southend United
in what was the final match to be played at Spotland this calendar year. By
then, everyone already knew about the pitch situation: the surface struggling,
the waterlogging relentless, the inflatable covers merely delaying the
inevitable. The winter schedule and worsening conditions were on a collision
course. The decision to press ahead with a full mid-season rebuild was the
unavoidable conclusion to a problem that had been growing in plain sight for
several years.
To allow for this five-week operation, it had been
confirmed that the Hartlepool and Brackley home fixtures would be played at
Accrington Stanley’s Crown Ground − the Wham Stadium, to give it its sponsored
name − and let’s hope it’s the Last Christmas we ever have to do such a
thing. To my mind, it’s the first time Dale have been forced to stage league
games at a neutral venue. We’ve shifted the odd AWS tie before – notably in
1998/99, when a couple were moved to opponents’ grounds – and there’s a small
scrapbook’s worth of FA Cup replays at borrowed homes such as Old Trafford,
Maine Road and Elland Road. But competitive league football on someone else’s
turf through necessity rather than choice? That really is uncharted territory,
and yet another reminder of how extraordinary this season has become off the
pitch as well as on it.
Still, the alternative is unthinkable and, once again,
it’s the magnificent Ogden family we have to thank for the fact we even have
such an option. There will, of course, be inconvenience for supporters and
players alike, but it’s a compromise everyone should accept for the greater
good.
And if the wider football world needed proof of what
led to this decision, the Southend fixture provided it in real time. What
should have been one of Dale’s two crucial games in hand − an opportunity to
edge clear at the top while others were distracted by FA Cup duties − slowly
descended into farce as the rain turned Spotland’s surface from awkward to
unplayable.
Jim McNulty made two changes from the Eastleigh win.
Ryan Galvin came in for his first start at left wing-back, allowing Tarryn
Allarakhia to operate higher up, while Connor McBride returned in place of the
injured Devante Rodney. Yet the afternoon began on the back foot, with Oli
Coker lashing Southend ahead inside six minutes. McBride spurned a fine chance
to level, and only a fingertip save from Nathan Broome and a goal-line
clearance from Kyron Gordon prevented the visitors doubling their lead before
the break.
The turning point arrived after the interval. Trying
to impose Dale’s usual possession-heavy style on a surface slowing by the
minute was asking for trouble, yet that’s exactly what they attempted for the
first 45, playing in areas that invited mistakes. Only when the team pushed
higher, forcing play into Southend’s half, did the momentum shift − and when it
did, it swung decisively. The equaliser came when a hopeful ball forward skidded
in front of Collin Andeng-Ndi, whose attempted gather turned into a costly
spill. Ryan East reacted quickest, showing admirable composure to steer the
ball around a defender and into the empty net.
The second goal owed plenty to the conditions too. Sam
Beckwith rattled the bar before being forced off with what looked a worrying
injury, and his replacement, Dan Moss, was immediately involved, driving a
greasy ball into Allarakhia’s feet inside the area. A slick touch, a neat jink
past the defender and a low finish into the far corner gave Dale the lead −
again exploiting a pitch on which defenders and goalkeeper were constantly
second-guessing their footing.
Mani Dieseruvwe could – and probably should – have
settled it on the counter. But just moments after his one-on-one, referee
Andrew Humphries ordered the players back to the dressing room as the surface
turned into a swamp. After nearly thirty minutes of frantic work from club staff
and grounds team alike, and two inspections from the match officials, the
inevitable was confirmed. The game was abandoned after 78 minutes, with Dale
leading 2-1. In truth, it shouldn’t have reached that point. The match ought to
have been stopped a good ten minutes earlier, long before Allarakhia’s
excellent strike further muddied the waters.
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| The referee with McNulty and Southend boss Kevin Maher. |
The afternoon’s bedlam had many contenders for a
nadir, yet one moment stood out painfully clear: Beckwith’s injury. Even from a
distance it looked ominous − what appeared to be a serious hamstring issue − and
the manner in which he was helped from the pitch did little to soften that
impression. Sadly, the initial concern was not an overreaction, and it was
later revealed that in all likelihood he will now miss the rest of the campaign.
And that stings. He has been, without question, the finest left-sided
centre-half in the National League, and his absence leaves a void that will be
extraordinarily difficult to fill. As it would turn out, Beckwith was not the
only one to leave the pitch carrying consequences that would surface in the weeks
that followed. Dieseruvwe, it was later revealed, took a hit with the last kick
of the match, something McNulty said he feared would keep the striker out for
at least a month.
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| The surface caused an injury that will keep Sam Beckwith out for the season. |
On a positive note, Allarakhia was by some distance
Dale’s standout performer − man of the match by any measure − underlining how
effective he can be when used in advanced areas rather than being pinned to a
touchline.
Whether the result will stand or the fixture must be
replayed is now a matter for the National League to decide – another unwelcome
subplot in a campaign already carrying more than its fair share. Recent
precedent doesn’t offer much guidance either. Eastleigh’s 1–1 draw with
Scunthorpe, abandoned in the 93rd minute earlier this season, was ordered to be
replayed. Yet only a week later, Scunthorpe’s 2–1 lead against Wealdstone was
halted in the 78th minute and the points were awarded to the home side. Both of
those abandonments came as a result of player injury rather than the weather, albeit
the away side elected to end the match in the latter.
With league matters unresolved, attention turned − perhaps
mercifully − elsewhere. Dale’s ever-growing injury list – now up to four key
players – was becoming a concern but the first XI was to be given something of a
brief reprieve for the next fixture, the third round of the FA Trophy, albeit
the first round at which Rochdale entered. Often viewed as an unnecessary
distraction for clubs with promotion ambitions, the competition briefly became
a chance for Dale to chase a first major senior trophy in the club’s history
last season – right up until the horror of that semi-final against Spennymoor.
We won’t revisit that here…
This year’s third-round opponents were the same as
last year: Leamington − a tie that brought Dale a routine passage into round
four and Tobi Adebayo-Rowling the chance to hug a tree after scoring his first
goal for the club. This time, while the outcome was unchanged and the trees of
Leamington remained unembraced, the task was far less straightforward, with the
1–0 victory hard earned.
The opening 45 minutes were goalless, but the
breakthrough arrived shortly after the restart. Half-time substitute Levi
Amantchi made an immediate impact, scoring the decisive goal just six minutes
into the second half.
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| A smart finish from Levi Amantchi settled the FA Trophy tie. |
Jim McNulty had made eight changes from the side named
for the previous weekend’s abandoned fixture against Southend United.
Tom Myles started in goal, behind a back three of
David Tutonda, Liam Hogan and Dan Moss. Ryan Galvin and Tarryn Allarakhia
operated as wing-backs, with Casey Pettit and Jake Burger forming the midfield
partnership.
Ian Henderson led the line with Connor McBride at No.10
with Liam Humbles coming into the starting XI late on in place of Aidan Barlow,
who had originally been named to start but suffered a niggle in the warm-up. Tyler
Smith returned from injury on the bench, alongside Bryce Hosannah.
It was, if nothing else, a flexing of the squad depth
that now existed at the club. Yet, following the game, Allarakhia left the
rainy British Isles for the 2025 CAF Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco after
being named in Tanzania’s 26-man squad. A further blow to Dale’s depleting
ranks given his form at the time. All the more welcome, then, was the
reinforcement of at least one position, with centre-back Charlie Waller
arriving on loan from League Two MK Dons.
Dale returned to league action the following Friday
with a trip to Altrincham, a fixture that felt less like festive football and
more like an administrative prank. The scheduling, a by-product of broadcaster
DAZN’s hollow Christmas campaign, landed on a night that is annually sacred to
office parties. That supporters still made the journey was testament enough;
what followed on the pitch justified them entirely.
This was also the season’s first reverse fixture. Dale
had beaten Altrincham at Spotland back in August, and in the intervening months
the Robins had dispensed with long-serving manager Phil Parkinson, turning
instead to Neil Gibson. The change, however, had done little to reverse their
slide. Altrincham sat 15th, short on confidence and soon to be shown just how
far Dale’s own collective journey had progressed.
With injuries biting across the pitch, there was
natural apprehension from the Dale support. Instead, the 3-0 victory became one
of the most complete performances of the season, a quiet vindication of
thoughtful squad building and an unwavering commitment to a plan. From the
opening minute, Dale were intent on imposing their tempo. The back three played
with an almost languid assurance, happy to recycle possession and wait for
spaces to open, confident in both instruction and ability.
Charlie Waller’s introduction on the left of that
three could hardly have been smoother. Stepping into Sam Beckwith’s role, he
delivered an assured, intelligent display that suggested continuity rather than
compromise. Ahead of him, Ian Henderson’s inclusion at centre-forward brought
with it all the subtlety that has defined his career. The No.40 drifted,
dropped and nudged defenders out of position, creating corridors for others to
exploit. It was Henderson’s cushioned header that teed up Joe Pritchard for his
first goal in a Dale shirt, the finish a fitting reward for early dominance.
The second goal arrived via patience rather than
pressure. Dale moved the ball calmly across their own half, drawing Altrincham
forward before springing the trap down the right. Kyron Gordon released Connor McBride,
who did the rest with a finish of real quality, an expertly judged chip even
Henderson would have been proud of. By the interval, it was reasonable to
wonder whether Dale ought to have been further ahead, a thought that felt
almost indulgent given the enforced changes and missing personnel.
Altrincham showed more intent after the break, probing
with greater purpose, but Dale’s defensive organisation held firm. Goalkeeper Nathan
Broome was called upon twice, producing sharp saves that ensured momentum never
truly shifted. There was no panic, only control, and when Jim McNulty turned to
his bench the response was immediate. The substitutes injected fresh energy,
swinging the contest decisively back in Dale’s favour.
The third goal, scored by Tyler Smith, followed a
familiar pattern: incisive play down the right, movement timed to perfection,
and a finish that extinguished any lingering doubt. From there, the remainder
felt procedural, the outcome settled long before the final whistle.
An evening that began with concern over absentees
ended with supporters celebrating those who had stepped into the breach, and it
meant Rochdale AFC should be top of the National League for Christmas.
So, an away trip to Morecambe on Boxing Day is next up
for Dale before those two ‘home’ games at Accrington to see out and see in the
New Year.
And as if all this weren’t already enough of a detour
from the norm, January into February looms with a run that borders on the
absurd: Dale are set to face five of current top seven in almost consecutive
league games. A month that, on paper, reads less like a fixture list and more
like a stress test of every ounce of progress McNulty’s side has made. By then,
hopefully, Spotland will be back in working order and the rebuilt pitch will be
hosting football rather than machinery, because Dale will need every advantage
they can muster. It’s the sort of stretch that can redefine a season − for good
or ill − and one that will demand the same resilience that carried them out of
the early-winter turbulence.
Regardless, for now, the team’s record-breaking season
continues. With two fixtures still to be played, they have already secured a
club-record 31 Rochdale wins in a calendar year, surpassing the previous high
of 29. If that doesn’t fill you with festive cheer, I don’t know what will.
Merry Christmas fellow Dale fans. I hope it’s a good
one for you all.
As always thanks to The Voice of Spotland, Dan Youngs and Rochdale AFC for use of images.
