Henderson stars as hat-trick hero in a ‘vital’ win for Dale
ROCHDALE picked up an emphatic victory as an Ian Henderson hat-trick inspired his side to a 3-0 victory over Gillingham.
The striker’s heroics helped his side claim victory at the Crown Oil Arena, and while manager Keith Hill admitted it isn’t the style of football he would like, he thought it was a vital win.
“It’s the perfect result. It’s up to me to gather as many points as I possibly can. Is it the way I want to play football? No. Is it the best way to beat the opponent? Previous history would suggest so,” he said.
“You’ve got to win football matches, and we did the business. The players took ownership of the opponents and if we had done that against Scunthorpe, then we would have won that game.
“I thought Ian Henderson was excellent. I don’t know why people doubt him. I thought there were great performances out there.”
The victory has seen Rochdale move up to 13th in the League One table, having gone unbeaten in their past three matches.
In League Two, OLDHAM ATHLETIC also picked up a dominant victory as they won 3-0 at Grimsby Town.
Two goals from Sam Surridge, along with a late strike from Jose Baxter, helped Latics come out on top at Blundell Park and move up to sixth place.
Boss Frankie Bunn was thrilled with the victory, saying: “The result was fantastic. We got a clean sheet, and to score that amount of goals away from home is a credit to the players, so I’m delighted with the win.
“We had more quality on the ball, had better opportunities and kept the back door shut, so I’m pleased with the back line for the clean sheet as well, and long may that continue.”
BURY were triumphant as they won 2-1 at Swindon Town to make it three straight wins for the Shakers.
Byron Moore scored twice, cancelling out Luke Woolfenden’s equaliser to help his side earn the win at the County Ground.
Bury are now in seventh place after the win, just one point behind local rivals Oldham.
MACCLESFIELD TOWN are still searching for their first league win after conceding a late goal and losing 2-1 at home to Lincoln City.
Jamie Grimes had equalised for the Silkmen after Tom Pett’s opener, but Jason Shackell’s 87th-minute goal earned Lincoln the victory, meaning Macclesfield stay second bottom, with no wins from their eight games.
In the Championship, BOLTON WANDERERS were beaten at home as they lost 2-1 to Queens Park Rangers. WIGAN ATHLETIC also came up short in their match, suffering a 2-0 defeat at Brentford.