Dale coast to away victory
WWW.ROCHDALEAFC.CO.UK
ROCHDALE made it back-to-back wins and extended their unbeaten to run four with a 2-1 victory over Barrow on Saturday.
In a game delayed by 30 minutes – due to torrential rain in Cumbria – Jake Beesley scored a brace, as Robbie Stockdale’s side secured three points at the Dunes Hotel Stadium.
The forward put Dale ahead shortly before the half hour mark. The home side then drew level from the spot ten minutes into the second half, before Beesley won it for Rochdale in the 72nd minute.
There was one change to the side that lined up against Sutton United last weekend, as Jeriel Dorsett came in for the injured Jim Mcnulty.
Rochdale tested first but were denied by Paul Farman in the Barrow goal. After Jimmy Keohane latched onto Aaron Morley’s cross-field ball, the full-back drove into the area before getting his shot away, but was kept out by the ‘keeper’s feet.
Minutes later, he sent a fierce strike narrowly over the bar, before Jake Beesley met a Morley corner and turned a difficult header over the bar from the edge of the six-yard box.
Up the other end, Josh Kay, with his back to goal, turned and got his shot away but he was denied by Joel Coleman’s low stop, and Robbie Gotts was blocked on the follow up.
Soon after, as Rochdale dominated, Beesley struck over the bar, but he broke the deadlock sixty seconds later, with 28 minutes on the clock. Captain Eoghan O’connell played the ball over the top to the forward, and he brought it down before firing beyond Farman.
Dale were on the ascendancy and moments later, Morley fizzed the ball across the face of goal but there’s no-one there to turn it home.
Beesley, who raced onto a ball in behind, was then denied by Farman who came racing out of his goal.
Before the half was out, the home side had the ball in the back of the net through Josh Gordon, after he had turned home Kay’s cross, but it was ruled out for offside.
Rochdale could have doubled their advantage early in the second half, but were again kept out by the Barrow goalkeeper. He pulled off a fine low save to deny Alex Newby.
The Bluebirds were much improved in the second half and had rallied since the break, and they equalised 10 minutes after the restart from the penalty spot.
After Gordon was brought down inside the area by Corey O’keeffe, Ollie Banks stepped up to take the resulting spot kick, which was initially kept out by Coleman, but he headed home on the rebound.
Rochdale responded superbly after the goal and Beesley forced Farman to tip his looping header over the bar, while Newby did well to create a yard of space before firing over from the edge of the 18-yard box.
And Dale regained the lead in the 72nd minute as
Beesley netted his second of the afternoon. Liam Kelly sent a low ball across the face of goal, where Beesley poked home from close range.
Rochdale’s first change of the game followed, as Newby made way for Conor Grant, before a second came six minutes later, with George Broadbent replacing Abraham Odoh. Between the two substitutions, O’connell nodded wide of the far post from Kelly’s corner.
In stoppage time, Luke James flicked a cross wide of Coleman’s right post, and Dale saw the game out comfortably to secure three points.
Stephen Dooley made his return from injury with a couple of minutes left to play, as he came on for Kelly.