HENDO THE HERO ON DALE’S DAY
WO well-executed goals by Ian Henderson sent a confident Rochdale into the FA Cup fourth round.
On the way they shattered nonleague Barrow’s hopes of finally making it into the third round at their 12th attempt.
A happy Rochdale boss Keith Hill said: “We got through with a great performance.
“We were very professional, we had a great attacking intent and we stifled the opposition with regards to the major threat, which was set plays.
“We prepared the players for the worst on Friday and during the course of the week, but we were pleasantly surprised.
“The pitch was very good, we’re a passing side and we took the ball away from the opposition.
“We controlled possession and I’m really pleased with the attacking intent. We probably should have scored more goals, but we nullified their threat.
“I’m really pleased with the game-plan and the way the players executed it.”
Rochdale nearly took a sixthminute lead when Joe Rafferty raced down the left flank and squared the ball across goal, but Callum Camps couldn’t get the vital touch.
Then Calvin Andrew had a blast deflected for a corner. But it was only momentary relief for Barrow as Steven Davies whipped over his set-piece and Henderson was there to head Rochdale into a 17thminute lead.
Barrow showed the threat they could be in the 24th minute when keeper Conrad Logan did well to push away a Richie Bennett shot, and while the ball rebounded to Moussa Diarra he put his attempt straight at the keeper.
But many of the narrow escapes were at the end Barrow were defending. On 29 minutes Matt Lund broke into the box, tricked a defender to open up the goal and then shot wide of the far post.
At the start of the second half Davies showed his intent with a free-kick that went inches wide of the keeper’s right post.
Barrow did press but the openings were not coming and the game was settled in the 61st minute when Henderson fired home his second from Oliver Rathbone’s pass. Barrow kept plugging away but Byron Harrison headed into the keeper’s arms and then a low ball from Jordan Williams flashed across the face of the net. And in the final seconds Harrison crashed a shot inches wide. “No doubt about it, the better team won,” said Barrow boss Paul Cox. “There has to be a sense of pride in how far we have come in this competition, but the journey is over now. “They were far more clinical in the final third. We had chances but the first goal was crucial.”
STAR MAN KEITH KEANE Rochdale
BARROW (4-4-2): Flatt 7, Beeley 7, Livesey 8, Diarra 7, Anderton 8, Hughes 7 (Haworth 71 7), Harvey 7, Rowe 7 (Wright 71 7), Williams 7, Bennett 7 (Hannah 77 7), Harrison 7 Subs not used: Coughlin, Meikle, Murray, Anderson ROCHDALE (4-3-3): Logan 7, McGahey 7, McNulty 7, Keane 8 (Canavan 90+2 N/A), Rafferty 8, Lund 8, Camps 7, Rathbone 8 (Allen 87 N/A), Andrew 8, Davies 8, Henderson 8 (Cannon 80 7) Subs not used: Lillis, Mendez-Laing, Noble-Lazarus, Owusu