Fireworks

Rola-Cola Sponsored English League 2

Rochdale AFC 2 - 1 Barnet FC

Journey

Chaffeur driven to Spotland today.  No, not because I have had some starry fit and insisted that Roch Valley Radio provide me with a limo equipped with satellite TV, a mini bar and a selection of warm pies (I would be clueless with warm ladies - I can just about handle warm pies) - it's because of idiots.  Let me explain...

Car crime is a fact in our fair town.  It happens.  It happens quite a lot.  In spite of which, It was still a bit of a surprise when it happened to me.  More surprising was what they did to my car.  Having made a fairly poor attempt at nicking it from the front of my house - they set fire to it, in front of my house.  Nothing quite prepare's you for coming home from the pub to find that your pride and joy is now a gutted wreck, welded to the road by what had once been it's tyre's.

So no car and the nice folks at the insurance company have managed to wriggle off the hook as well.  Thank you idiots - thanks a bunch.

A mini-cab it was then.  I mentioned my little drama to the cabby and he had some highly inventive ideas on what should be done to the perpetrators.  Whilst entertaining, I am pretty sure that the Hague Convention rules them all out - especially the ones involving rusty knives.

Weather

Overcast and breezy with occasional flashes of blue and surprisingly warm for October.  As the game progressed the cloud closed in meaning that the last fifteen minutes would be played in a murky twilight - the floodlights should have probably gone on; but that lecky bill isn't going to pay itself y'know.

Food

Just a coffee - my trousers continue to get bigger.

Away Support

Look, it is a really long way from Barnet.  50-60 fans made the trip, maybe a few more.  As Mr. Culshaw pointed out - whilst a Dale fan could make a weekender of a trip to Barnet (with 'that' London being just down the road n'all), there isn't much for the tourist in Rochdale - burned out cars don't figure on most peoples 'must see' list.

News

Gallic flair.  Dale bring 21 year old French forward, Marc Manga, into the fold on non-contract terms following a succesful trial period at Spotland.  Big things are expected of the youngster - but it is to be hoped his sense of direction improves in the coming weeks.  As he didn't make the starting eleven or bench today he watched the game from the stands - sat among the visiting Directors.  Tres amuser.

Sven out?  Rumours coming out of Nottingham suggest that sometime England Manager and bon viveur Sven Goran-Eriksson is on the verge of leaving Notts County.  It is alleged that having spent three months going through the cupboards, drawers and even levered up all the floor boards at Meadow Lane - Sven has realised that there really isn't any money afterall. 

Action

Your team for today:

GK: Arthur

Def: Wiseman, Stanton, Dawson, Kennedy(T)

Mid: Whaley, Kennedy(J), Jones, Buckley

For: Dagnall, O'Grady

Bench: Edwards, Flynn, Holness, Rundle, Stephens, Thompson, Spencer

Well, the result down at Burton had been a bit of a shock - Burton had simply out-planned and out thoght Dale on pretty much every level.  I suppose it is quite flattering that teams take a visit from Rochdale so seriously these days.

Todays opponents are a somewhat different kettle of fish.  Barnet had started their season very well and begun the day sitting in fourth place - Dale had slipped to seventh after the Brewers clever ambush - one point seperated the sides.  Barnet had been a fairly lightweight outfit at the start of last season, but after a change of leadership they had become a far trickier prospect by the end of the season.  Their lofty league position is no fluke - Barnet are serious contenders this term.

It was a pretty low key start - both teams perhaps sensing the gravity of this fixture.  The first ten minutes were pretty inconclusive as they sized one another up.  I had expected a bit more of Barnet, but in a side which boasts some of the elder statemen in league two (viz Gary Breen, Micah Hyde and Paul Furlong) - a sedate start was probably just the ticket.

Regretably for Barnet, Dale quickly lost patience with the stand off.  On eleven minutes Dagnall found himself near the halfway line, with the ball at his feet.  A burst of pace, a twist, a turn and the Barnet defence receded into the distance.  Jake Cole advance from his line - just in time to see the ball slide by his right foot and into the bottom corner.  1-0 Dale!

A goal to the good, Dale went on the rampage.  Dagnall, O'Grady, Whaley and Buckley hacked at Bee's defences - chance followed chance and it really only seemed a matter of time before Dale extended their lead.  Barnet were far from out of it though and passed the ball around very nicely but struggled to evade the Rochdale off-side trap.  Their one serious effort from Furlong was comfortably dealt with by Kenny Arthur.

The goal for Dale came - but not quite the way we had expected.  Buckley had hared into the box, evading the men in orange and black as he went until he was confronted by the solid form of Gary Breen.  Breen's uncultured barge did the rest - Mr. Webster pointed to the spot.  Tom Kennedy made no mistake.  2-0 Dale!

Kennedy made a rather subdued goal celebration (in comparison to last time) and Mr. Webster indicated half time.

As the dancing ladies strutted their stuff I could reflect on a corking 45 minutes of football.  Barnet weren't bad - Dale were just better.  As Mr. Webster got things going again it seemed certain that Dale would grab a few more.

For the first fifteen minutes after the interval it certainly looked that way as Rochdale continued to rack up the chances.  However, just before the hour Barnet made a change.  Ex-Gill's man Albert Jarrett took the field for the rather impressive Adomah.  His first touch, a freekick from the edge of the 18 yard box, sliced through the crowded area before thumping against the upright - there was an instant of barely concealed shock before the ball was roughly hacked away.  Minutes later Paul Furlong produced a fine point blank save from Kenny Arthur.

Barnet were right back in it.  This was a bit more like the team I had expected to see.  Unfortunately.

For twenty minutes the Bee's buzzed around Rochdale like an angry swarm.  Chances for Barnet came and went as the clock crawled towards full-time - and then with just six minutes of normal time remaining, Barnet got one back.

A corner delivered to the edge of the six yard box found substitute Jake Hyde lurking in an indecent amount of space.  His volley on the turn was one of the best finishes I have seen this season - Kenny Arthur also had a pretty good view as the ball cleared his outstretched hands and dipped into the top corner.  2-1.

Six minutes to go (Mmmm - make that ten,  Mr. Webster found another four up his sleve somewhere) and Barnet very much in the ascendant.  Did Dale go into meltdown?  No!

Barnet really pressed but Dale took a deep breath and got organised.  The remaining minutes generated not one further serious effort from the Bee's - and Dale had a couple of chances to put the result over the hill and far away.  It wasn't to be - but one of these Rochdale counter trusts almost saw the uniquely coiffured Barnet keeper, Jake Cole, heading for an early bath.  His challenge on Dagnall just outside the area was pretty industrial and the hand he employed to shift the ball out of Dagnall's path was pretty blatant.  However, Mr. Webster erred on the side of caution and only produced his yellow card.

In a real turn up for the books - the seldom spotted Adam Rundle trotted on to take the resulting free-kick.  Having done his turn he trotted back off again - because Mr. Webster had blown the final whistle.  2-1 Dale.

Speak your brains

Your cast for today: Myself, Mr. Keane, Keane jnr., Princess Keane, Mr. Mitchell and Playboy Dan

• Best performance of the season so far - not just the fancy attacking stuff, the backs to the wall defending was something to savour.
• Dagnall now on 7 for the season - Le Fondre now on 9 - I detect a race!
• We've been holding back on this one for a few weeks - but this side, right now - is the best we have ever seen.  We have seen a lot of indiffernt ones and couple of bonafide stinkers down the years - so we know what we are talking about.
• Mr. Rundle, we don't know what you did - but we hope you enjoyed it.  One minute of football in a month.  Ouch!
• Barnet's replacement right back was - Ryan O'Neil - yeah the 1970's acting type.  Pretty spritely for an old 'un.
• As Dagnall tucked away the first I found myself possessed by the spirit of Alan Partridge - exclaiming, 'And - thats a GOAL!'.  The shame.

So, we watched the league table roll up - 4th! - then we turned our attention to the England game.  The football wasn't up to much - but we enjoyed the firework display.