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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| ...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.
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| 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.
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| 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
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