Dale’s big day at
Ten years on from their first trip to the Home of Football Rochdale fans returned to the capital and were out in force for the club’s FA Cup fifth round replay. reports...
THERE was a splendid irony in Rochdale’s moment in the sun at Wembley taking place in temperatures of minus 11.
Perhaps it was appropriate, for a town where it rains 289 days in the year and earlier in the cup run had to relay a patch of grass under the steely gaze of the sceptical national media.
But well over 5,000 undampened spirits made their way to the national stadium to cheer on Dale, witnessing the most significant occasion in the club’s 111-year history.
Hours before, small blobs of blue could be seen scuttling up Wembley Way from Wembley Park tube station mostly London or Southern-based fans.
Matt and Sam are Rochdale exiles, working in the south-east, with an element of distance from the season’s travails.
“We’ve been brought up on memories of the League Cup final (1962) all those years ago,” he said.
“Glory hasn’t exactly come to our door, let’s just say that,” they laugh. “We’ve had to batter the door down.”
Soon the 17 club coaches rumble in two hours before kick-off, carrying row upon row of joyful travelling fans into the polar temperatures whipping around Wembley.
Dad Jamie Heywood and daughter Kerys from Balderstone trot around the ground.
“It’s been a bit of a battle getting her into football at times,” Jamie says. “But this little run we’ve had has helped, hasn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Kerys replies, a tad unconvincingly. “It’s been really good.”
It’s been tough, at times, to detect a genuine lift in spirits in Rochdale but the cup run has certainly got fans talking about the past, present and future of their town’s side.
As anyone who has stood on the Spotland terracing will tell you, scepticism is never far away even on the big occasion.
“When you go to Leeds, Sheffield and even Bury, you feel the club represents the town,” says Michael, “and that’s not been the case in Rochdale for a while.”
“That comes from the club for me, not doing enough to get involved in the community. The ground is detached, hard to get to, and the club seem to be too.
“Everyone turned up for the Spurs game on the Sunday but we were at the MK Dons game the following Tuesday. There weren’t many who did both.
“It was a weird atmosphere. Flat. You’re not telling me that doesn’t affect the players.”
Andy Bell helps run Springfield Park Juniors, a local club, his son Josh and friend Jamie Peters are players. He is a lapsed season-ticket holder.
“The prices are fine, but work and life take you away,” Andy explains. “I couldn’t get tickets for the Spurs game. My wife turned up in the hail at 10.30 and couldn’t even get in a queue.
“It was sad not to be there having held a season ticket for 20 years growing up. We had to be here after that.”
Plenty of groups gaggle around the Sir Bobby Moore statue, in a deference to tradition that cuts across the Rochdale support.
It’s a pilgrimage, in that sense, a rare chance to kneel at English football’s high altar.
Patrick, Anthony, David and Christine Jinks are passionate advocates of all things Rochdale as season-ticket holders for over a decade.
Christine, channeling the tone of chief executive Russ Green, explains just how wet a place the town is and that’s why they put the mills there in the first place. Teenager David cites Callum Camps as the next big thing to come out of Spotland, while brother Patrick is revelling in the cup run.
“We’re going down. But do we care?” he chuckles. “Not tonight, at least.”
Plenty disagree - John and Pauline Rowe are concerned by the league campaign.
“It’s never really got started at any stage,” Pauline sighs. “We played ten times as well in the first Spurs game as we have done in any league game.”
There is a genuine split among the fans; some are sympathetic to Keith Hill’s budgetary constraints, others frustrated at the disappearance of some of the January loan signings.
But there’s a blissful innocence about the enjoyment of the occasion, certainly from a clutch of schoolkids from St Edwards School in Castleton.
Led by Mrs Ingham, 10 lucky year 4 children got the chance to go to a game from a lucky dip draw of the school’s 100 pupils. A mixed group, the boys hoot and holler their support, debating whether Dale were going to win two or three nil.
It’s the girls who know their stuff. One is a season-ticket holder. “Hopefully Calvin Andrew is back for tonight,” she wondered – sadly, he wasn’t.
Another, Siri, plays for Rochdale girls junior team as a defender. She’s been playing for a few months now and seems to absolutely love it.
“It means everything to the town, doesn’t it?” says their teacher. “It’s nice to have an up day, we’ve had quite a few down days over the last few years.
“But we’re Rochdale. We have to fight for what we get.”