Back home, back on top: Rochdale’s January blitz

 

Ian Henderson lifted the tempo at No.9 against Solihull Moors.

After festive disruption, departures, incomings and a necessary dose of pragmatism, Rochdale AFC entered mid-January intact − not propelled to the summit, but positioned close enough to it to remain credible title challengers, and with sterner examinations still to come.

The first of those arrived at Damson Park, and in a very different guise to the fixture Dale might have anticipated earlier in the season. Solihull Moors, dismantled with ease in the reverse meeting, had since been quietly reassembled into something far more coherent. Improved organisation without the ball had been matched by greater incision with it; one defeat in their previous seven fixtures, coupled with an impressive return of 22 goals, had lifted them into 10th place in the National League entering the game week. Under Chris Millington, Solihull no longer resembled convenient opposition, but a side beginning to look every inch a play-off contender.

In the event, Rochdale left with three points and another clean sheet − further evidence that this side’s foundations are built not on flair but on an almost obstinate refusal to be beaten. On a wet and blustery night, against opponents who have made a habit of scoring freely, Dale’s defensive assurance proved decisive.

Solihull were content in the opening exchanges to allow Rochdale’s centre-backs time on the ball, only springing their press once possession was worked into midfield or out towards the wing-backs. It made for a cagey first half, though Rochdale gradually progressed more consistently into the final third, breaking lines with increasing regularity even if clear chances remained elusive. The best fell to Connor McBride, who did everything right in creating space for himself but then lashed his finish wildly over, power replacing precision at the critical moment.

The second half was settled by a stoppage-time goal that owed as much to the conditions as to intention. From 20 yards, substitute Joe Pritchard struck through the ball and allowed the wind to carry it beyond goalkeeper Laurie Walker and into the top corner − a finish that will be remembered fondly regardless of whether it was entirely meant. Rochdale were not about to waste such fortune. Their miserly defence performed exactly as expected, keeping what little Solihull could muster at bay with a composure that suggested the outcome was never in doubt.

One-nil to the wind but Joe Pritchard isn't caring.

If there was an area of concern, it lay further forward. Rochdale lacked urgency and aggression in front of goal, missing the kind of presence provided by a Burger, Barlow or Allarakhia − someone capable of unsettling defenders and offering something different on the ball. Manny Duku, unlike against Gateshead, struggled to impose himself as the No.9, while Ian Henderson’s introduction − his 500th appearance for the club − lifted the tempo and underlined the value of an alternative option. Casey Pettit, another substitute, again made a telling contribution in midfield, showing that his presence does not diminish Rochdale’s strength in the slightest.

Overall, this felt like another marker laid down by a side whose defensive solidity is becoming a defining feature. Against a prolific home team, Rochdale never looked like conceding a chance, let alone a goal. The conditions did little to aid attacking fluency, but the lack of a spark in the final third was clear. Still, the depth, mentality and steel within this squad are striking − qualities rarely assembled in such measure at Spotland.

The Hartlepool defeat in December already felt a long way in the past, even if only two league games had intervened. More importantly, the victory lifted Rochdale to second in the National League, just a point adrift of leaders York but with three games in hand on the Minstermen. At this stage of the season the table itself demanded a double take, with the top six compressed into a margin of just five points.

Callum Perry is already looking astute at left centre-back.

Three days later, Rochdale returned at long last to their spiritual home. Spotland welcomed them back for the visit of lowly Truro City, played out on a newly laid pitch following a complete renovation that had begun in early December.

The mid-season overhaul was, by the club’s own metrics, transformative. Where the previous surface struggled to drain more than 5mm of water per hour, the new pitch was already achieving an average filtration rate of around 500mm per hour − a figure that proved its worth almost immediately, with heavy rainfall passing cleanly through the turf in the week leading up to the Truro match.

Further renovation work is scheduled for the close of the season, with the aim of pushing filtration rates higher still and completing the long-term reset of the surface. OBI Sports will remain involved as consultants over the next 12 to 18 months, ensuring continuity rather than quick fixes.

This work is the product of sustained backing from the ownership group. For a club whose winter momentum has too often been disrupted by the elements, this was not simply a cosmetic upgrade but a necessary intervention. If Rochdale’s promotion push is to be decided on footballing terms alone, then January’s most important work may not have been done on the training pitch or in the transfer market, but deep beneath the grass at Spotland. For that, and for the commitment of the Ogden family, effusive gratitude feels entirely appropriate.

Rochdale, in response, played as though they had never been away, delivering a performance as controlled as it was dominant, even if the 2-0 scoreline stubbornly refused to reflect the full extent of that authority.

From the opening exchanges this was a side intent on making a statement, moving the ball sharply across the pitch, stretching Truro from flank to flank, but always with an eye for the incisive pass through the centre. There, Ian Henderson’s movement gave shape and purpose to almost every attack, pulling defenders out of position and ensuring Dale played on the front foot from the outset.

The breakthrough came almost immediately. Liam Hogan, stepping into the side, acted as a quiet orchestrator, strolling forward and drawing Truro out of position. For all the patience required in Hogan’s use of the ball − and the scepticism that greeted his inclusion in some quarters − his contribution deserved credit. Adjusting seamlessly to Dale’s rhythms after barely featuring, the former Oldham man brought composure and clarity.

His involvement in the opening goal saw him switch play to the right, where Kyron Gordon found Henderson. What followed − a perfectly weighted through ball − was pure Henderson, and Tyler Smith did the rest, sliding a composed finish beyond the goalkeeper inside three minutes. It encapsulated Henderson’s influence in the final third, his intelligence and movement allowing Smith to thrive. Smith, in turn, looked sharper and more confident than at any point in a Dale shirt, before yet another untimely injury brought his afternoon to a premature end.

Ian Henderson couldn't find the mark with his penalty versus Truro...

It set the tone for a first half played almost entirely on Dale’s terms. Aidan Barlow curled an effort against the post, Smith fired over, and when Henderson dragged a penalty wide after Gordon was brought down, it briefly threatened to become one of those afternoons where dominance goes unrewarded. Yet even amid that frustration, Dale’s structure never wavered. Harvey Gilmour, operating higher up the pitch alongside Casey Pettit, twice went close − his growing influence underlined by a fierce effort that crashed back off the bar after excellent work down the left from Tarryn Allarakhia.

Henderson, marking his 41st birthday and a remarkable 501st appearance for the club, was never going to allow the missed penalty to define the afternoon. Three minutes later, Dale’s all-time leading goalscorer made amends in the only way he knows how, finishing neatly to register his 164th goal in Dale colours.

The second half was a calmer, more assured affair, though no less one-sided, and Dale could − and probably should − have added further gloss to the scoreline. Barlow was denied from close range, Connor McBride rattled the underside of the bar, and then − in a moment that neatly summed up the afternoon − Henderson’s stooping header struck the upright before being cleared.

The most notable development after the break, however, was the re-emergence of Mani Dieseruvwe following a lengthy lay-off. Not only did the substitute look like a player untouched by absence, but he arguably produced a performance of a higher standard than immediately before his injury, adding physical presence and sharpness to an already commanding team display.

By full time, the lingering question was not how Dale had won, but how they had won by only two. This was an utterly dominant display, rich in control and invention, even if the woodwork insisted on having the final say.

...but he did moments later from open play to score his 164th Dale goal.

January still had one piece of unfinished business. To close the month, Southend United returned to Spotland to contest the fixture abandoned to the elements in December. On that occasion, Kevin Maher’s side had been the better team before Dale adapted more effectively to the conditions, the referee eventually halting proceedings with Rochdale leading 2–1. With the pitch resembling the Norfolk Broads by that point, few could argue with the decision.

For those with an eye for irony, there were wry smiles ahead of the rescheduled fixture too, as the heavens once again emptied themselves in the build-up to kick-off. Even the club seemed to appreciate it, posting pictures of the pitch being watered by sprinklers moments before the game.

Rain aside, this time it went ahead − and, eventually, it reached a conclusion worth waiting for.

Harvey Gilmour’s 90th-minute winner lifted Rochdale to the summit of the National League, two points clear of York City and with two games in hand.

Jim McNulty’s team selection hinted at careful calculation. Dan Moss was deployed at left wing-back to blunt the threat of Gus Scott-Morriss, while Jake Burger returned to the starting XI. Aidan Barlow and Connor McBride were omitted altogether, a further indication of McNulty’s willingness to rotate as Rochdale navigate a demanding run of fixtures.

Southend, perhaps mindful of Dale’s recent attacking fluency, were content to concede possession in deeper areas. Rochdale monopolised the ball, circulating it calmly across the back and into midfield, crafting neat approach play without quite landing the decisive blow. There were inviting deliveries into the box − the kind you felt Mani Dieseruvwe would have thrived upon had he been on the pitch − but for all the time spent in the final third, Southend goalkeeper Collin Andeng-Ndi remained largely untroubled. It was a different contest to the more open meetings between the sides in recent seasons: Southend appeared to have arrived with restraint in mind, seemingly happy to depart with a point from the opening whistle.

However, against the run of play, they struck five minutes before the interval. Andy Dallas won a free-kick on Dale’s left, and when it was swung into the area Scott-Morriss exploited a high and static defensive line, flicking the ball goalwards before following up from close range. Rochdale have lived comfortably with a high line all season, but this time it looked unusually rigid, with the usually infallible Ollie Whatmuff caught in two minds and positioned too far from his line to intervene.

The response was immediate and emphatic. Kyron Gordon surged down the right, shifted the ball onto his left foot just outside the area and bent a magnificent equaliser into the far corner − a goal that restored both parity and momentum.

Kyron Gordon celebrates his finish against Southend with Devante Rodney.

After the break, possession was more evenly shared as the contest tightened and both managers turned to their benches. For Rochdale, the changes proved decisive. Joe Pritchard and Tarryn Allarakhia injected pace and invention down the left, building on Moss’s largely excellent containment of Scott-Morriss in open play.

The winner came on the cusp of full time. Mani Dieseruvwe, introduced from the bench, brought the ball under control and slipped Pritchard into the area. As Andeng-Ndi raced out to narrow the angle, Pritchard kept his composure, rounded him and squared for Gilmour, who turned the ball home from close range to ignite wild celebrations at Spotland.

Southend ultimately offered little sustained pressure, contrary to pre-match expectations. Rochdale played their familiar possession-based game, albeit without the volume of chances seen in recent outings − possibly a reflection of facing the division’s second-best defence rather than any lack of enterprise.

Moss’s deployment at left wing-back proved a shrewd tactical call, depriving Scott-Morriss of space and influence. Later adjustments, including the reshuffle that paired Gilmour with Casey Pettit in midfield and pushed Ryan East into a wider role, further stymied Southend’s growing foothold. The final, fatal intervention came with the introduction of Pritchard, whose combination with Allarakhia down the left directly delivered the winner.

This was a victory built not on dominance alone but on composure, adaptability and trust in the squad. McNulty’s rotations − both before kick-off and from the bench − were vindicated in another performance that carried the look of title intent.

The Southend win was the starting gun for a punishing spell: nine games in 33 days, six of them against sides currently in the top eight. There were groans at Spotland during Truro and Southend, impatience at the slow churn of possession. Yet with a team this settled in its method, deviation for now would feel not just unnecessary, but self-sabotaging. February will tell its own story.

Harvey Gilmour is mobbed by his team-mates after notching the winner.

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

Frozen pitches, fresh faces and a job done for Rochdale

 

Jake Burger drives forward against Tamworth.

By the time Rochdale AFC emerged from the festive break, they had slipped from first to fifth in the National League without kicking a ball. The irony was hard to miss. A temporary move from Spotland to Accrington’s Wham Stadium, after pitch problems at home, ended in familiar frustration as a nationwide freeze rendered yet another surface unplayable, postponing the scheduled game against Brackley. Those title rivals spared by the freeze took full advantage.

When football finally returned, it did so not in the league but in the FA Trophy, with a fourth-round trip to Tamworth offering no immediate route back to the summit. It did, however, provide something else: an opportunity for several first-team regulars to continue their rehabilitation after spells out through injury and international duty.

There had been a reshaping of the squad during the enforced downtime, too. Liam Humbles, who had barely troubled the starting XI since joining the club in the summer, was sent on loan to Altrincham until the end of the season.

Levi Amantchi, Charlie Waller and Nathan Broome returned to their parent clubs following expiration of loan spells, while Ryan Galvin was recalled by Barnet. Amantchi’s five months at Dale were modest in numbers but timely in impact, his late-July arrival yielding 20 appearances and a pair of goals, the most significant of which secured safe passage through to the FA Trophy fourth round at Leamington. Upon returning to Walsall, he was almost immediately transferred back to the National League, this time with Gateshead.

Broome’s contribution was briefer but more impactful: drafted in amid injury to Ollie Whatmuff, he brought calm and competence between the posts, keeping clean sheets in two of his four outings. Waller, likewise, made a competent fist of covering Sam Beckwith’s injury during his one-month stay. Galvin departed with a respectable record in Dale colours − five appearances, four wins – even if he himself did not set the world ablaze at left wing-back.

None were long-term fixtures, but each served a purpose at a moment when the squad needed reinforcement.

Amantchi’s departure in particular, however, left Dale with a familiar problem. Emmanuel Dieseruvwe’s injury had already exposed the thinness of options at No.9, forcing reliance on the evergreen Ian Henderson − now 40 − with only a brief and not-entirely-convincing flirtation with Tyler Smith as an alternative. Smith is much more effective operating at No.10. So, when the club announced it had moved to reinforce that position, the news was greeted with palpable relief − albeit tempered by more than a few raised eyebrows.

Perry, Duku and Bilongo joined Dale in the same week.

The reinforcement arrived in the shape of Manny Duku, a 33-year-old Dutch forward recruited from mid-table Tamworth, a signing that offered both cause for optimism and reason for caution. Duku had made fast starts before. At Raith Rovers in 2020/21 he scored in every League Cup group game, including a superb first-time finish from a tight angle against Hearts, later adding a penalty in a 3–2 league win over the Tynecastle side. Ten goals in 12 appearances suggested momentum appeared firmly with him.

At his best, Duku showed sharp movement, finished chances well and was willing to press − never rapid, but quick enough. The concern was sustainability. That early burst at Raith gave way to a 16-game drought as his off-the-ball intensity faded, a pattern that repeated itself at Inverness Caledonian Thistle. More recently he has drifted through the English non-league, posting respectable returns at Solihull and Tamworth. Now he arrives at Spotland as a calculated gamble − one that may depend on whether competition with Dieseruvwe can keep him engaged beyond any initial surge.

Duku was joined at Spotland by left wing-back Bryant Bilongo on a 1.5-year deal from Bristol Rovers and Coventry City U21 captain Callum Perry, on an initial one-month loan.

Positionally, the pair feel very much like McNulty signings: versatile, option-heavy additions. Looking at the refreshed squad, Bilongo, Joe Pritchard and Tarryn Allarakhia can all operate at left wing-back; Perry and David Tutonda provide competition at left centre-back; while Pritchard also offers an option as a No. 10, as does Allarakhia, who impressed there before his AFCON sojourn.

Tom Myles was involved in a penalty shoot-out v Tamworth.

None of that, however, was put to the test at Tamworth. With none of the new arrivals featuring, or indeed announced at this point (and Duku was cup-tied into the bargain), Rochdale named an XI that spoke clearly to where the FA Trophy sat in McNulty’s list of priorities − some distance below the league campaign. Tom Myles started in goal behind a back three of David Tutonda, Liam Hogan and Dan Moss, with Bryce Hosannah and the returning Allarakhia operating as wing-backs. Casey Pettit and Jake Burger anchored the midfield, while Aidan Barlow and Tyler Smith supported Ian Henderson up front.

Tamworth, by contrast, treated the tie with greater seriousness, fielding a strong side that ultimately prevailed on penalties after a 1–1 draw in normal time. Dale had taken the lead before the interval through Smith’s very well-taken effort, but as the contest wore on the hosts’ greater cohesion began to tell. An equaliser in the final 20 minutes dragged the tie beyond 90 minutes and into a shootout.

Sudden death beckoned after the opening exchanges from the spot. When substitute Charlie Waller’s penalty struck the upright, the door was left ajar, and Matt Curley stepped through it, converting to send Tamworth into the fifth round and bring Dale’s Trophy interest to a quiet end.

Casey Pettit converts his penalty against Tamworth.

There was little time to linger on any disappointment that might have been felt at Tamworth. Just three days later, Rochdale were on the road and back to league business, heading to the north-east to face Gateshead. Pre-match confidence was understandably high: the Heed sat bottom of the National League and had already been dismantled by Dale in the reverse fixture earlier in the campaign.

Yet, as so often in this division, context mattered. In the weeks leading up to the game Gateshead had acted, reappointing Rob Elliot as manager and reshaping their squad − changes that would be tested for the first time against Rochdale, and which threatened to render league position and past form largely irrelevant.

In the event, Dale’s return to league action was marked by a 2–0 success. On a chilly Saturday afternoon in the north-east, Jim McNulty’s side did what good sides do on the road – struck when on top, weathered a wobble, then finished the job.

The headline belonged to Manny Duku. Thrown straight in after arriving earlier in the week, the striker marked his debut with a goal that demonstrated sharp movement and an instinct for being in the right place at the right time. Just after the half-hour, Dale carved Gateshead open. A neat one-two between Kyron Gordon and Tobi Adebayo-Rowling created the angle for Gordon to slide Devante Rodney in behind. His delivery across the box was perfectly weighted and Duku, sliding in, did the rest.

Duku could – perhaps should – have doubled his tally minutes later. Ryan East’s high press forced the turnover and, after driving forward, he fed the debutant once more. This time former Dale loanee Tiernan Brooks was equal to it, but the chance underlined Dale’s superiority during a first half in which they broke with pace and purpose. At the interval, the sense was not just that Dale deserved their lead, but that they might regret not making it more emphatic.

Gateshead, to their credit, emerged with greater intent. Crosses began to rain into the area, testing Dale’s defensive shape. Former loanee Levi Amantchi came closest, his header crashing back off the bar, while Aidan Elliott-Wheeler skewed another opportunity wide. It was a reminder that one goal rarely settles anything, particularly away from home.

In the midst of this, Oliver Whatmuff’s return between the posts was significant. Calm to the point of serenity, he exuded an assurance that steadied those in front of him. Nothing was hurried, nothing looked awkward. If goalkeeping is often about temperament as much as technique, Whatmuff offered a masterclass in the former.

The decisive moment arrived late on and again it was crafted expertly. Adebayo-Rowling’s cross from the right missed Henderson but found East on the edge of the area and the midfielder made no mistake, slamming his finish into the near corner. It was a goal that cut through any lingering doubt and restored control.

The second half had lacked the fluency of the first and ball retention was not always convincing, allowing Gateshead more territory than McNulty would have liked. Yet defensively Dale were largely sound, if occasionally exposed by crosses – an area that will need tightening, particularly as new recruits learn the nuances of the system.

With pressure beginning to build down Dale’s left, the introduction of David Tutonda at left centre-back felt like astute game management, offering fresh legs and positional nous to help see the contest through.

There were reminders, too, that not all debuts arrive fully formed. Callum Perry, operating on the left of the back three and understandably short of match sharpness after limited recent game time, showed glimpses without quite settling into a rhythm. That McNulty was able to manage his minutes rather than expose him late on felt sensible, and Perry looks a player who will benefit quickly from regular football.

Bryant Bilongo, introduced later, also looked like a player still learning the structure, occasionally caught out of position but visibly receiving instruction from the bench.

There were plenty of encouraging individual notes. Jake Burger’s ability to carry the ball through midfield gave Dale a different dimension. Casey Pettit provided his now-familiar steadiness and looks increasingly like a starter waiting to happen, perhaps in a three or with East pushed wider as he was here in a second-half reshuffle. Duku, beyond the goal, showed enough movement and physical presence to suggest, with a little more ruthlessness, he can more than capably deputise for Mani Dieseruvwe, especially with Henderson’s intelligent running on offer as an alternative too.

In the end, this was not a performance to stir the soul, but it was one to please the pragmatist. A job done, points secured, debuts bedded in.

Duku celebrates with team-mates after opening his account.

What now lies ahead for Dale is a frenetic stretch that may go a long way towards defining their season. First comes a testing trip to a much-improved Solihull Moors, before the long-awaited return to Spotland to face strugglers Truro on newly laid turf. That is followed by the rearranged visit of Southend United, after the National League finally ruled that the original fixture should be replayed rather than allowed to stand.

Beyond that looms February, and what looks like the true examination of Dale’s promotion credentials: a daunting run against Boreham Wood, Carlisle United, Forest Green Rovers and Scunthorpe United in almost consecutive games. If Dale emerge from that run anywhere near the summit, they will have done very well indeed.

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