Positives picked out in Exeter loss

ROCHDALE’S penultimate away game of the 2021/22 season ended in defeat to an Exeter City side on the brink of promotion to League One.

Dale made a fine start to the game at St James’ park on Saturday but eventually the home side’s superior quality shone through and they won with goals either side of the interval from Tim Dieng and Matt Jay.

There were pleny of positives for Dale chief Robbie Stockdale to pick out from the performance, which, while not strong enough to beat one of the best sides in the division, was a decent showing given the number of key players out or playing through injury.

He was particularly pleased with his team’s first-half efforts and felt the contest could have swung Dale’s way had they landed the first blow.

“It was a tough game,” admitted Stockdale. “They’re looking like they’re going to be promoted from our division so it was always going to be a very difficult game. Obviously there was a capacity crowd for them and we wanted to come here and spoil that party.

“I thought in the first half, certainly the first 25 minutes, we were excellent. We were really, really good and dominated the game and probably should have been 2-0 up in the opening 10 minutes. We cut them open time and time again and, for me, [they score from] a dubious free-kick - sometimes you get them and some times you don’t - they put the ball in our goal from a set-piece which is always disappointing.

“Second half, we really struggled to click into gear and the second goal kills the game a little bit, to be honest.

“We found it difficult to have any momentum or any control in it. We made a couple of changes and tried to be positive but with players having injuries and players on the pitch injured.

“At 2-0 down, the reaction of the players was half decent and in the last 10 minutes we were pushing to put them under pressure but they managed the game very well.”

Stockdale believes that Exeter’s goal proved vital, after Dale had been unable to convert their early chances.

“In any game of football, the first goal is usually really important,” he said. “We did 90 per cent of the job dominating the ball and dominating the game without the ball.

“There was a sense of a bit of frustration in the crowd and if we get that first goal when we should have then it just piles a lot more pressure on them and it might have made them a bit nervous.

“The fact they they get it [the goal], gives the crowd a lift and makes it a very difficult job for us.

“Second half, it was frustrating to watch from the touchline and I didn’t feel that we played at the same tempo, but at the same time, you’re coming to a team that are second in the division and you’re not going to dominate everything all the time.”

The Dale chief admitted he had been frustrated at some of referee Carl Brook’s decisions.

“Goals change games all the time,” he said. “Our frustration is a little bit with us but also - and I don’t like blaming the officials - there were so many free kicks where you’re thinking there’s so many free kicks we could get where the ref blows up for Jim Mcnulty fouling. One of the reasons the fourth official gave me was because the size difference between the two players was too big. Mindblowing.

“Josh Andrews should have had a penalty at the end for his shirt getting pulled off. I asked the linesman ‘surely you can see his shirt being pulled?’ and his response was ‘well he’s got a free shot at goal.’ I don’t get it. It’s a tough job and I’m not here to make excuses, but sometimes they’d get more respect if they just held their hands up and said ‘I made a mistake’ and we live with that, don’t we?”