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Rochdale AFC 3 - 1 Barnet FC

Journey:

No roadworks, no complaints about the morality of other road users, no issues with parking - the only thing worthy of comment was Greater Manchester Police's cone festooned crack-down on the approaches to Spotland.

Normally the approaches to Spotland are littered with cars. Any given trip to Spotland usually involves waiting patiently behind a Volvo estate trying vainly to reverse into a space the size of a shopping trolley. But not today - I swept by with barely a second thought. Having parked up I sauntered towards the ground amid a growing throng of Dale fans.

The first home league game of the season. A time for looking forward - and perhaps a little look back, just a little one... This time of year is typically marked by a kind of naive optimism at Spotland - moving through the gathering crowd - naive optimism had given way to simmering expectation.

Before I set off today I watched Chris Hoy win his second Olympic gold medal for Great Britain in the cycling. Being on the older side, I remember when no-one cared about Olympic cycling - we had Thompson, Cram, Coe, Ovett, Wells, Christie, Akabusi, Black, Backley and Jackson to win our medals. There was that strange Boardman fellow who popped up now and then - but he was little more than a sideshow. So what changed? Vision, science, planning and investment - that's what. In the season and a half since Messers Hill & Flitcroft took the handlebars - that same blend has been applied at Rochdale AFC. OK - we are doing it on a smaller scale, with smaller budgets - but we are doing it. The results are there for all to see.

A team from an unfashionable town, with no reputation, made up of virtual unknowns made it to the cusp of promotion last season. In the summer we have pruned, we have aquired and we have learned our lessons.

Rochdale expects.

Weather:

This is the tricky part of the season: Just light shirt - light shirt with light jacket over arm - light shirt under light jacket - heavy shirt with heavy waterproof coat. Considering todays conditions were breezy but humid - guess which option I chose? Yep, I was sweating like a cart horse.

Messers Keane and Turner had elected for light shirt under light jacket - but due to the changeable conditions I has subjected to the least erotic, stereo striptease in the history of ever - as the jacket's went on, and then off, and then on and cetera... Mr. Mitchell thankfully stuck with the light shirt option throughout. Perhaps there is a God.

Food:

Having arrived uncharacteristically early - I plumped for the meat and potato pie/diet coke option. I witnessed Mr. Turner slaughter a cheese burger - Mr. Keane and Mr. Mitchell's scoffing habits were a mystery to me: I was too busy reading the match program - more on this later.

It will become clear a little later why I made a second journey to the Sandy Lane Patisserie - but for now, let' s just assume I really fancied more pie. While I stood in the queue I tuned into the other footballing contest at Spotland today.

It is a little observed or understood fact that the under tens who are borne to Spotland under varying degrees of duress, have to find ways to amuse themselves. In the Sandy - this means a rough and ready game of football - using an empty pop bottle as a ball. As I waited in the pie queue I saw Keane jnr pull off a devastating, low free kick which I believe brought the score to 12-9. This was probably the highlight of the first 40 minutes of home football at Spotland 2008/09.

Away Support:

Few and silent.

Action:

So, we had failed to score at Grimsby and we had failed to score against Oldham during the week. Granted, we hadn't conceded - but it was a little worrying.

On two minutes - it became very worrying. A Bee's freekick, Tabiri's resulting flick on found Birchall who unleashed a seemingly impossible volley past a stationary and bemused Russell. 0-1 Barnet.

The next 37 minutes were dreadful. Rochdale could easily have found themselves going into the break 2 or 3 down. The outright poverty of Rochdale's performance provoked my second trip to the patisserie. Keane jnr's admitedly amazing free-kick really was very little consolation.

This could be a long season...

Then on 39 a bit of endeavour from Dagnall saw him deep in the Barnet area - a neat lay-off and Rundle found the net. 1-1. Literally something out of nothing.

Six minutes later and it happened again - the ball arrived at Dagnall's feet at the edge of the Bee's box - and then it was in the net. 2-1. In the words of David Coleman - extraordinary!!!

Half time. Our new signing Mark Jones (a welsh international no less) made an appearance to draw the winning Golden Gamble ticket - paperwork complications meant he couldn't take the field today. It seems our quest for a right sided midfielder is over - I hope.

I returned to studying the program - because I have a plan. This is the season I am going to attend every league game - home and away. It is a big ask - especially when you consider Tuesday night trips to Gillingham and Barnet - but I am going to do it. Oh - and write about it to. I have even come up with a name - The 101 Project. 101 - because this is Dale's 101'st season and project - because it is a - errrr - project.

After the horror show of the first half the second half proved to be one of the most one sided encounters I have ever watched. Dale pretty well drove Barnet from the field of play. The only real surprise was that it took Dale until the 72 minute mark to further extend their lead. A long clearance from Russell found Shaw galloping towards the Barnet goal and a deft drive saw the ball in the back of the net. 3-1.

A couple of late efforts from St. Adam could have made the rout more comprehensive - but 3-1 it remained.

As I made my way back to the car, Playboy Dan jumped out of a hedge to say hello. 'Are you trying to get in the report again Dan?' I asked - 'Yes' he said. Wish granted Dan.

Summary:

Dale rode their luck today - Barnet really had us on the rack in the first period, but just couldn't make their dominance count. A six minute Rochdale blitz, completely against the run of play seemed to break their hearts - the team that returned in the second period seemed to have given up before they began.

Rundle, Dagnall and Shaw all impressed and scored, but for me the star of the show was Hellboy - pretty well the only Dale player to exit the first half with any credit and pulled the strings throughout the second half.

A home win and 4 points from 6. Rochdale expects...

Turner Watch:

Well, aside of the coat issues - another solid performance. In a week when speculation surrounding the long term future of this section has intensified - I would like to make it clear that Mr. Turner has the full backing of the author.

16/08/08