Rochdale 1-0 Accrington
Whilst not quite the proverbial game of two halves we did well to pick seats level with the penalty area defended by Rochdale in the first half. Accrington played all the football in the opening period and only a combination of wayward finishing and excellent goalkeeping kept the scores level at half time. 17 year old Dan Adshead - a scorer on his debut for England U18's a couple of weeks ago - was the solitary bright spot for Dale in a midfield which spent much of the half watching long balls sail harmlessly beyond them to where a big striker might at least have lent some meaning to such depressing tactics.
The introduction of said big striker, Calvin Andrew shortly after half time turned the game on its head. Accrington backed off in terror. The pressure mounted and finally led to a goal from a corner, Ian Henderson's 101st for the Dale. He would surely have scored many more if Keith Hill didn't persist with playing him as a wide midfielder where his talents are clearly wasted.
3 points and 2 happy children was what I'd asked for and on both counts the day was a success. I suspect it'll be a while before I next contribute to this thread though.
Whilst not quite the proverbial game of two halves we did well to pick seats level with the penalty area defended by Rochdale in the first half. Accrington played all the football in the opening period and only a combination of wayward finishing and excellent goalkeeping kept the scores level at half time. 17 year old Dan Adshead - a scorer on his debut for England U18's a couple of weeks ago - was the solitary bright spot for Dale in a midfield which spent much of the half watching long balls sail harmlessly beyond them to where a big striker might at least have lent some meaning to such depressing tactics.
The introduction of said big striker, Calvin Andrew shortly after half time turned the game on its head. Accrington backed off in terror. The pressure mounted and finally led to a goal from a corner, Ian Henderson's 101st for the Dale. He would surely have scored many more if Keith Hill didn't persist with playing him as a wide midfielder where his talents are clearly wasted.
3 points and 2 happy children was what I'd asked for and on both counts the day was a success. I suspect it'll be a while before I next contribute to this thread though.
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