Low Expectations

Rochdale AFC 0 - 1 Gillingham FC

Journey:

I was waiting at the traffic lights at the top of Roch Valley Way, looking at the assembled Rochdale fans outside the Cemetery Hotel – when it suddenly struck me. I have done it! At the beginning of the season I said I would - and I have! I have been to every league game this season – well, after today’s game I will have.

Forty six games. All the way from Darlington in the north to Bournemouth in the south – from Exeter in the west to Gillingham in the east. It has been an awfully big adventure, complete with happy bits, sad bits, silly bits and quite a lot of pies – the thing is, whatever happens today - Dale are in the play-off’s. So it isn’t over just yet. Who knows, with a bit of good fortune another trip to Wembley could be on the cards and perhaps, just perhaps – the ‘P’ word. We’ll see I guess…

Having parked up I made my way to the Studd’s bar to meet Mr. Keane. Unfortunately he wasn’t around so I chatted to Mr. Culshaw for a moment – who gave me the team news and told me something so improbable that I had to check it wasn’t April 1st again - more on this later. As I said, ’No! seriously?’ for the sixth or seventh time – I got a text from Mr. Keane, to remind me that we were meeting in the Ratcliffe Arms.

This has been happening a lot lately – turning up in the wrong pub. I recently went to meet Mr. Keane in the Eagle to discover that we had agreed to meet in the Lion. In the words of the meerkat:- ’Not even sound same!’. Is this how dementia begins I wonder?

So having hot footed round the stadium I finally caught up with Mr. Keane and a full compliment of Keane jnr’s in the Ratcliffe Arms - and he had big news. Following a decision by the North Bury Under 9's (Roch Section) League – there will be no championship play-off with Chadderton. Littleborough and Chadderton have been declared joint champions and will both be promoted! Not bad for Keane jnr’s first season of amateur football – very well done to Keane jnr. and all of the Mighty Yellows.

So, for the last time in the regular season, Mr. Keane plus Keane jnr’s and I sauntered round to the Sandy Lane turnstiles, slipped inside and wandered over to where Mr. Mitchell stood waiting for us – just to the right of the goal, near the wonky piece of concrete that moves when you stand on it.

Weather:

Sun.

Food:

A tuna steak served with a warm salad of seasonal vegetables, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar… not.

Meat and potato pie – but as it is the last day of the season, I took John Lennon’s advice and gave peas a chance.

Away Support:

4-500. Jolly impressive considering the distance and that it is highly likely that they will be coming back again on Thursday night.

Dale’s play-off opponents could be anyone of Wycombe, Exeter, Bury, Gillingham, The Royal Borough of Dagenham or for that matter Shrewsbury – but the chances are it will be Gillingham. The Gill’s currently sit in 5th place with Dale in 6th – the play-off format is 4th plays 7th & 5th plays 6th. This means they would have to get to gods country again on Thursday night – while we will have to get to the damp, grey, marshes of Kent (Charles Dickens words – not mine) for either a lunchtime or teatime kick-off next Sunday. What Larks!

The atmosphere around Spotland was strange today. Last season Dale had romped into the play-off’s on the back of a stream of swashbuckling victories. This season had been very different – and it showed. The usual crop of fancy dress adorned revellers were absent – where last season Dale fans had slapped backs, shared their stories to uproarious laughter and skipped through the turnstiles - this time around there was a pinched, pensive, nervousness to the assembling throng.

Action:

Last game of the regular season and both teams already secure in the play off’s. Two things were likely: a fairly uneventful game and numerous changes to the normal line-up’s of both sides. Well, one bit of that statement would prove true…

Your team for today is: Fielding in goal. Newey, McArdle, Holness and Wiseman in defence. Thompson, Jones (G), Jones (M) and Rundle in midfield. Shaw and Buckley upfront.

Yes, you did hear that right - Rochdale’s lesser spotted striker, Jon Shaw, has returned from a reasonably profitable loan spell at Crawley (5 goals from 17 games). Such has been the shortage of goals lately that a striker in any kind of form is a priceless thing indeed.

So, the rather spritely Mr. Deadman got things underway and we waited for the anticipated bore draw to unfold. The thing was it didn’t.

With both sides strongly suspecting that they would meet again in just a very few days – there was a definite desire to ‘get a marker down’. The opening few moments were pretty breathless with both sides grabbing the chance to test one another – and it seemed that the Gill’s had struck the early blow when Southall found himself where Newey should have been and smashed the ball past Fielding. However, the linesman spared Newey and Rochdale’s blushes by indicating off-side.

In response, Dale struck back with efforts from Buckley and Shaw which had to be hacked off the Gill's goal line.

However just minutes later, even the linesman couldn’t save Dale. Lewis’s header forward found Curtis Weston who applied the afterburners and left Newey trailing in his wake. Newey attempted to recover but his despairing lunge only succeeded in felling Weston just inside the area – surely a penalty? Mr. Deadman remained unmoved and Fielding swept in to secure the ball. He fumbled it. Weston now back on his feet collected and drove the ball into the empty net as McArdle and Holness looked on helplessly. 1-0 Gillingham.

In the run into halftime another effort from Buckley along with efforts from both of the Jones boys looked likely to get Dale back onto level terms – but it was not to be.

Mr. Golden Gamble made a valiant attempt to whip the reluctant crowd into a lather - but even the prospect of a couple of hundred quid in someone’s back pocket wasn’t enough to break the miasma that had settled over Spotland. But like all great showmen – he had a secret weapon. For the first time in ages someone actually got up for the cross bar challenge - and he was absolutely shocking.

The thing was people started smiling and then laughing. The hapless cross bar challenger had achieved the seemingly impossible – people actually seemed to be enjoying themselves. Ten minutes into the second half any remaining long faces were set chuckling by a fantastic showbiz touch. Rochdale’s assistant manager and sometime player, David Flitcroft, pulled on a shirt and joined the game in place of Joe Thompson – just as Mr. Culshaw had said he would.

I absolutely loved Flitcroft as a player. He wasn’t quick or especially gifted as a footballer – but he was always 100% committed to the cause. I remember years ago in a League Cup game against Blackburn that he grabbed every opportunity he could to launch his own brother Gary (who was at Blackburn then) up into the night sky – to the strains of ‘FLITCROFT! – THERE’S ONLY ONE FLITCROFT! THERE’S ONLY ONE FLITCROFT!’ from the Sandy.

His performance today was typically Flitcroft – and had the Dale fans variously roaring with laughter, wiping hysterical tears from their eye’s or rolling in the aisles. The effect on Gillingham was extraordinary – they looked terrified of him – and after a few trade mark bone rattling challenges they had very good reason to be. No one in a Gill’s shirt seemed to want to go any where near him – meaning he had all the time and space in the world – so he started spraying inch perfect passes to every corner of the ground to hearty cheers. He was having the game of his life – and I am sure that there was more than just me wondering what might have happened had he filled the void left by Perkins and played at Wembley last season.

Inevitably he collected a yellow card, but he also produced one of Dale’s best chances of the half with a thumping drive which had Julian in the Gill’s goal scampering to cover it – oh and he was awarded man of the match.

It occurred to me that we were actually losing this game – but d’you know what, it just didn’t seem to matter – today had been the best day at Spotland for months.

Summary:

The game didn’t really matter and Dale lost it – although they produced more than enough efforts on goal to at least level the tie, only some great defensive work from Gillingham kept them out. Dale could also feel a little hard done by not to get a penalty in the first period when a Gill’s defender seemed to be trying to plant Joe Thompson inside the 18 yard box.

Newey was pretty dreadful in defence but Shaw was surprisingly good upfront and looked twice the player we had seen earlier in the season. He may live up to his pre-season billing yet. I really hope so.

While the Dave Flitcroft show was going on the final positions in League Two were resolved as follows:

1. Brentford 85

2. Exeter 79

3. Wycombe 78

4. Bury 78

5. Gillingham 75

6. Rochdale 70

7. Shrewsbury 69

Brentford, Exeter and Wycombe go up automatically. Bury, although on the same points as Wycombe miss out on automatic promotion on goal difference. One goal to be precise – could it be that meaningless consolation goal that Will Buckley scored at Gigg Lane perhaps?

Bury will play Shrewsbury in the play-off ‘s and Rochdale will play Gillingham.

A Sunday in Kent beckons – What Larks!

Turner Watch:

I have a confession to make. In the course of this season I may have made up some of the content in this section.

2/05/09