A warm welcome back for Dale fans
ROCHDALE fans returned to Spotland to a warm welcome for the friendly encounter with Fleetwood Town, on Saturday.
With the sun beating down it was an ideal opportunity to run the rule over their team and assess what lay ahead in the forthcoming league campaign.
It was also a chance for newly arrived manager Robbie Stockdale to assess his charges and to give some indication of the style of play Dale supporters can expect in the coming months.
Fans and Stockdale will feel optimistic after an entertaining six-goal contest in which the visitors needed two late goals to share the honours.
The most pleasing aspect of Dale’s play was the desire to get the ball forward whether through intricate interplay, searching crossfield passes or finding the channels with long, testing balls for the front men to chase.
It was good to watch and a big improvement on the erstwhile tippy-tappy style of play seen at times in recent seasons, often to the frustration of the fans.
Early evidence of this forward thinking came in the first minute when Oliver Rathbone’s dipping shot just cleared the bar.
More was to come as the hosts pressured the Fleetwood defence, regained possession and Alex Newby and Stephen Dooley combined superbly, the latter’s fierce drive batted away by Alex Cairns.
Dale were dominant, opening the scoring when Rathbone’s delicate dink over the defence was well controlled by Dooley, who made no mistake, Cairns left floundering.
The visitors were struggling to get a foothold in the game and had to wait until the 40th minute before they created a chance, Jordan Rossiter’s weak header sailing well wide of the upright. They might have opened their account just before the break, Jay Lynch needing to be at his best as he stretched to save Shayden Morris’s firm, low shot and the ball was cleared.
Fleetwood showed greater intent after the interval and levelled when Danny Andrew curled a free-kick in at the near post.
The home team bounced back, Alex Newby’s lung-busting burst down the right capped by a pin-point cross which Jake Beesley calmly headed home.
The lead was increased when the hapless Harrison Holgate, under pressure from Matty Done, somehow contrived to steer the ball past a helpless Cairns.
A multitude of substitutes and the searing heat saw the game lose impetus, although Dooley might have made it four, his shot deflected onto the bar by Cairns.
With Rochdale now fielding what must be the youngest eleven in their history, Fleetwood’s Ryan Edmondson came off the bench to bag a brace in the closing stages and spare his team’s blushes.
Overall, though, Rochdale looked the better side with some fine individual performances. Eoghan O’connell, Rathbone, Morley and Abraham Odoh all caught the eye in a promising team performance which bodes well for the coming season.
“As we go into the second half and we’re starting to make changes, I spoke to the younger players about the levels that are required, and what a great experience for them to come onto the pitch in front of fans. They’ll get more opportunities to play, I’m sure. In terms of the two sides of what I was looking for, I think it ticks a lot of boxes,” said Stockdale.
“There was some good play, wasn’t there and we were on the front foot.
“I have to say, it was ridiculously hot. To keep that tempo going, even with a drinks break midway through each half, it is almost impossible, so I was looking at a bit of shape behind the ball when they had it. It was good but there are things to improve if we play a three against three central defenders and we’ll work on that, but you’ve got to think that I’ve only been here less than a week and it’ll get better.
“If I had stood here and we’d have won 3-1 everyone would have been thinking that we were going to be doing this and that - it’s still the next game that gets the process going.”
Having been appointed as first team manager last Saturday, Stockdale took his first training session on Monday. He reflects on his first few days in charge.
“I’m at home when I’m on the grass coaching and I felt at home in the dug out today. The players are responsive - I’m asking them to do things that they’ve maybe not been asked to do before and I think you can see that they are trying to take it on. I think that today was my first game, really, in charge, and I’ve been able to get some messages into them and they’re trying their best to put into action the ideas that I have.”
ROCHDALE:
Jay Lynch; Trialist A, Jim Mcnulty, Eoghan O’connell, Stephen Dooley, Aaron Morley, Jake Beesley, Alex Newby, Jimmy Keohane, Ollie Rathbone, Abraham Odoh. Substitutes (all used): Brad Wade; Conor Grant, Jordan Scanlon, Matty Done, Ben Kershaw, Anisio Jesus, Trialist B, Ethan Brierley, Joe Dunne, Kacper Mialkowski.
Alex Cairns; Danny Andrew, Tom Clarke, Max Mcmillan, Jordan Rossiter, Harrison Holgate, Ged Garner, Jay Matete, Shayden Morris, Dan Batty, Max Clarke. Substitutes: Billy Crellin; Dylan Boyle, Carl Johnston, Chris Con-clarke, Ryan Edmondson, James Hill, Harrison Biggins.
1-0
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