Cashman strike ensures Dale’s persistence pays
DANNY Cashman’s late strike secured victory for Rochdale – but the result was only half the story at the Crown Oil Arena.
Points don’t get handed out for entertainment value, so the three gained here were most welcome – but what a pleasure to enjoy the spectacle!
Without raking over old ground, this cracker of a contest highlighted some of the dross served up in the not-too-distant past.
Okay, Dale are now operating a division lower and inevitably the quality of the opposition over the course of the season will reflect that. Nevertheless, it’s been a refreshingly enjoyable ride under Stockdale so far.
This game probably deserved more goals – how the first half ended without one was a mystery.
A lovely turn by Abraham Odoh on ten minutes left his marker on the floor and created space for a run at goal. With Jake Beesley ahead of him, he picked out the frontman who immediately wrongfooted the experienced Peter Clarke, shifting the ball onto his right foot and firing towards the top corner of the goal, Joe Murphy pulling off the first significant save of the day.
Tranmere went even closer two minutes later. Aaron Morley won an aerial ball on the edge of his own penalty area but failed to clear it, Josh
Hawkes seizing on the loose ball and whipping a shot past Joel Coleman only to see it strike the foot of the post. A let off for Dale.
Corey O’keeffe was involved in a couple of promising moments – a smart turn and near post cross cut out by Tranmere and then a clipped delivery in to Eoghan O’connell from a Jeriel Dorsett free-kick, O’connell’s header towards the back post evading his team-mates.
Odoh was proving a thorn in the side for the visitors, and Dale were a whisker away from taking the lead following a corner earned by the diminutive forward.
His direct run into the area from the left was cut out and Morley’s corner kick dropped into a packed six-yard area,
Tranmere’s goal leading a charmed life as they somehow contrived to keep the ball out of Murphy’s net.
Odoh had a gilt-edged chance to break the deadlock on the half hour when Jimmy Keohane advanced into the box on the left and picked out his run into the area, Odoh side-footing wide from ten yards with the goal at his mercy.
A scrappy start to the second half was not helped by a lengthy stoppage in play while Rovers goalkeeper Murphy received treatment after a collision with his own team-mate, the custodian eventually carried off on a stretcher.
O’keeffe twice got in behind the Rovers defence, Beesley a fraction offside on the first occasion and then the wing- back’s delivery from the right of the box too close to substitute goalkeeper Ross Doohan.
O’keeffe teed up Morley for a shot from 18 yards but his attempt flew over the apex of Doohan’s goal frame.
Substitute stopper Ross Doohan was the busier of the two goalkeepers but was never seriously tested until the 84th minute when Dale sub Cashman, collected Beesley’s pass, side-stepped a defender and flashed a brilliant finish with the outside of his boot, angled to perfection, into the corner of the net.
Tranmere missed a glorious chance to level during the eight minute of time added on when sub Sam Foley struck the post from eight yards with just Coleman to beat.