Backward step as Dons do for Dale
ROCHDALE fell to a 2-1 defeat at home to AFC Wimbledon on Saturday.
The hosts opened up a two goal advantage thanks to goals from Ayoub Assal and Josh Davison. Assal put the visitors ahead shortly before half-time, whilst Davison doubled the Dons’ advantage with 64 minutes on the clock. There was an instant Dale response as Tyrese Sinclair halved the deficit two minutes later.
There were two changes from last weekend, with Connor Malley making his first league start for the club, coming into the side in place of the suspended James Ball. Sinclair replaced the injured Scott Quigley in the eleven.
The game started at a high tempo and both sides had opportunities during the opening exchanges.
Tyrese Sinclair headed over from Jimmy Keohane’s cross early on, before Dale capitalised on a Dons error at the back Sinclair had an initial effort blocked, whilst Devante Rodney, on the follow up, saw his low shot deflected narrowly wide of the upright.
Up the other end, Harry Pell had an effort deflected wide of the far post, after turning a cross from the right goalwards. From the corner, Richard O’donnell, who flew to his right, diverted Davison’s header round the post. Another corner followed and the Dale goalkeeper held Ethan Chislett’s deflected shot as it looped up into his hands.
With a quarter of an hour played, Liam Kelly superbly played in Rodney who beat the offside trap and went for goal. Nik Tzanev got a hand to the low shot, sending it wide of the target.
The half was a relatively even affair as it progressed, but O’donnell pulled off a fantastic save shortly before the half hour mark to deny Ayoub Assal, keeping the low shot out with his legs.
And the hosts broke the deadlock with six minutes of the half remaining. After Alex Woodyard and Harry Pell combined, the final ball over the top took a big deflection off Ethan Ebanks-landell and it fell perfectly for Assal, who lifted the ball up and over the outrushing O’donnell to give his side the lead going into the break.
The second half started quietly for both sides, although Dale enjoyed more of the ball and had a couple of shots on goal. Sinclair fired a half-volley over from a tight angle, before Tzanev held Ebanks-landell’s header from Kelly’s free-kick.
But AFC Wimbledon doubled their advantage soon after, in the 64th minute.
After shouts that a Sinclair shot was blocked by an arm inside the area, the hosts smashed the ball clear and Davison latched on the end of it before getting away from Ebankslandell and firing beyond O’donnell.
A double Rochdale change followed immediately, with Cameron John and Ian Henderson replacing Keohane and Malley.
And Dale halved the deficit two minutes after the Dons had scored their second. Substitute John played an excellent ball in behind the defence for Rodney to latch onto. He, in turn, found Sinclair who finished beyond Tzanev first time.
But despite the immediate response, Rochdale were unable to build any momentum for the remainder of the half due to the stop start nature of it and they failed to test Tzanev with a clear cut opportunity as the equaliser proved elusive.
There were a further two changes late on, with Abraham Odoh making way for Ray Tulloch, while the injured Sam Graham was replaced by Ben Nelson.
But the visitors saw the match out to claim victory.