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| Harvey Gilmour hit a sublime winner against Morecambe. |
Once the turkey was finished and Christmas Day filed away,
it didn’t take long for thoughts to return to football. For Rochdale, the
festive pause barely existed at all: two more games still awaited before the
calendar year could be put to bed.
First up was the relatively short cross-county trip to
Morecambe, a team slowly recovering from much-publicised off-the-field woes,
with an even slower recovery on it, languishing in the bottom four of the
National League. Dale, on the other hand, were looking for a fifth successive
league win to maintain pole position.
Jim McNulty named an unchanged starting line-up from the
previous week’s win at Altrincham and, while the side was not as fluid as in
that contest, there is an old footballing cliché that titles are built on
afternoons when teams are a little off-key and still find a way to win.
Rochdale’s trip to Morecambe felt like one of those days:
imperfect, occasionally frustrating, yet ultimately rewarding − made
even more so by the calibre of the opposition performance, which belied their
lowly league position.
Dale were not always at their sharpest, but they were
ambitious. The tactical intent was clear from the outset, with the midfield
pairing of Harvey Gilmour and Ryan East pushed high, almost on the toes of the
front three. Morecambe were often forced deep, yet they remained organised and
resilient, choosing their moments carefully rather than simply retreating. Even
so, with greater composure in the final ball – and perhaps a touch more clarity
in decision-making – Dale could, and probably should, have taken firmer control
long before the drama of a missed double penalty intervened.
With five minutes of the first half to go, Joe Pritchard was
clipped in the box and the referee pointed to the spot. Connor McBride stepped
up and Jamal Blackman saved – but the goalkeeper had crept off his line.
Retake.
Cue a change of taker and target. Pritchard went the other
way, Blackman guessed right again, and somehow Dale had contrived to miss two
penalties in the space of a minute.
Pressure eventually told, however. Henderson’s opener was a
classic Henderson goal: an instinctive, ruthless trademark lob, and a reminder
of his value as a stand-in who never looks like one. It gave Dale a half-time
lead that suggested control, if not complete fluency, belonged to the visitors.
Morecambe, however, refused to fade. Their equaliser was no
accident but the product of a well-executed Jack Nolan set piece, Dale punished
after Ryan Galvin’s clumsy challenge conceded a free kick in a dangerous area.
It was a moment that underlined why league position can be a misleading guide:
Morecambe were competitive, disciplined and alert to opportunity throughout. In
fact, had they possessed a natural No.9, the outcome may have been very
different.
Dale’s response was measured rather than frantic. The plan
remained intact, and it was from the bench that renewed clarity arrived. Jake
Burger’s half-time introduction proved transformative; suddenly, angles opened
and purpose returned. Alongside him, Tyler Smith and Devante Rodney injected
sharpness and urgency, stretching a tiring home defence and shifting the
momentum once more.
The winning goal was spectacular – a moment of quality that
cut through the second-half attrition. Burger, at the heart of everything good
going forward, supplied the pass, and Gilmour guided the ball into the top
corner from the edge of the box with emphatic precision, a finish worthy of
settling a tight and testing contest. There were further opportunities too, but
the excellent Blackman in the Morecambe goal ensured the scoreline remained at
two goals to one.
Elsewhere, there were quieter positives for Dale. Charlie Waller again suggested that the loss of Sam Beckwith may not be felt as keenly as first feared, particularly if his loan can be extended.
The afternoon victory was made all the sweeter by the fact
that two of Rochdale’s title rivals dropped points – Forest Green losing at
Brackley and York salvaging a last-minute draw against Boston United.
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| Devante Rodney returned to the XI against Hartlepool. |
There then followed the first of two Dale ‘home’ games at
Accrington’s Wham Stadium, with plenty of the Rochdale support travelling to
see these young guns go for it against Hartlepool United (and for any
non-Daleys reading this, the reason why Rochdale were playing home games in
Accrington is discussed at length in previous blog entries).
As noted earlier, there is an old footballing cliché that
titles are built on afternoons when teams are a little off-key and still find a
way to win. Unlike at Morecambe, Rochdale’s hosting of Hartlepool did not
feel like one of those days.
Some games are decided by quality, others by basics. Being
first to the ball, passing accurately, defending with clarity. Rochdale have
done those things almost unnoticed all season, providing the platform from
which results have flowed. Against Hartlepool, they didn’t. From the outset, Dale
looked oddly disconnected from the version of themselves supporters have grown
accustomed to, and that was all the more jarring given the team sheet looked
one most would have accepted without hesitation.
Jim McNulty made two changes from the Boxing Day win at
Morecambe. Devante Rodney and Tyler Smith came in for Ryan Galvin and Ian
Henderson, with Joe Pritchard shifting to the left. On paper, it made sense. In
practice, it exposed a structural problem that would linger throughout the evening.
With no focal point in attack − neither Emmanuel Dieseruvwe’s
physical presence nor Henderson’s intelligent movement − Dale struggled to retain the
ball in advanced areas. And, when you can’t keep it, you invite trouble.
Hartlepool did exactly what they do well: pressing high, breaking quickly, and
attacking space behind the wing-backs with intent.
The warning signs came early. Nathan Broome was forced into
a smart save to turn Luke Charman’s effort wide, but from the resulting corner
Maxim Kouogun rose unchallenged to head Hartlepool into the lead. Less than ten
minutes later it was two. A Dale attack broke down, Pools countered with speed,
and Charman arrived at the far post to finish from close range. The move
exposed familiar vulnerabilities down Dale’s left, as well as a worrying lack
of protection in the box.
At 2-0 down, Rochdale found themselves trailing by two goals for only the second time time this season. Hartlepool, having done
their damage, retreated into a compact shape. Dale’s response was disjointed.
Passing was loose, positioning uncertain, and there was little cohesion between
midfield and attack. Smith toiled without threat at centre-forward, Pritchard
endured a difficult evening, and Hartlepool seemed first to every second
ball. Even Broome’s distribution told its own story, with passing lanes closing
quickly and options few.
And yet, despite all of that, there were moments in the
first half where Dale should have tested the goalkeeper more. Crosses came in
greater volume than usual, but without conviction or end product. It wasn’t
until Henderson’s later introduction that those deliveries finally had purpose.
The second half, at least, offered encouragement. Then the
eventual introduction of Henderson and Anthony Gomez-Mancini changed both shape
and momentum. For the first time, Hartlepool had something different to think
about. Gomez-Mancini looked strong on the ball, Henderson immediately occupied
centre-backs, and Dale began to play higher and with greater clarity. Alongside
them, Harvey Gilmour was able to operate as a quarterback, while Casey Pettit
brought bite and urgency in midfield − arguably too late to influence the
result fully, but enough to suggest imminent changes for some regulars are
unavoidable. Pettit, in particular, made a compelling case to start.
The goal, when it came, underlined Henderson’s unique value
to this side. With just over ten minutes remaining, he met Tobi
Adebayo-Rowling’s right-wing cross with a perfectly timed header, glancing home
with the instinct of someone who understands that central striker role better
than anyone else at the club, save perhaps Dieseruvwe. The final twenty minutes
were, in truth, an enjoyable watch − not because of the scoreline, but
because it showed Rochdale can move away from their usual structure mid-game
and still look dangerous.
The frustration was that the adjustment arrived at least ten
minutes too late.
We don’t yet know how many minutes Henderson can
consistently give at his most effective level, but it felt clear he should have
been introduced no later than the hour mark. The same could be said of Pettit.
And with uncertainty still surrounding Dieseruvwe’s injury, the importance of
that No.9 role cannot be overstated. Additions are certainly required if his
absence is prolonged.
Also, Tarryn Allarakhia cannot return from AFCON soon enough
−
though, in typically inconvenient fashion, Tanzania have qualified for the next
round.
Anyway, a chance now to put things right against Brackley on
Saturday and start 2026 on the front foot. In the meantime, a Happy New Year to
you all.
As always thanks to TVOS/Dan Youngs/Rochdale AFC for use
of images.
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