Keep calm and carry on.

Rola Cola Sponsored English League Two

Rochadale AFC 2 - 0 Crewe Alexandra FC

Journey

Something odd happened on Monday night.  Not losing to Bury - that has happened before - quite a lot actually.  It wasn't going to the pub after the game either - that always seems to happen.  What was odd was the post match analysis.  Last season the  defeat at Gigg Lane had resulted in something approaching a wake...

None of that this time around.  Between myself and Messers. Keane, McCabe and Turner we agreed that the pitch was shoddy, the ref lenient beyond reason - but - that Dale simply hadn't come up to the mark.  Bury had wanted it more and Bury had won.  All very pragmatic really.  No doom and gloom - no 'the end is nigh'.  Simply a case of - right, who's next?  How the times have changed.  Keep calm and carry on.

I wandered onto Pearl Street a little before two today, the sun was shining (a very rare sight recently), the Smiths were blasting out of the PA, Dale fans were going quietly about their affairs - It seemed that everyone else had taken a similar view of Monday night's encounter.  The world hadn't ended.  Dale are still top, there are 18 games to go, everything to play for.  Keep calm and carry on.

Weather 

Blue skies and sunshine - to start with at least.  A perfect, crisp winters day.  However, when it started to go dark, a bank of fog rolled in and temperatures plummeted.  At the final whistle everyone rushed off as fast as their frozen feet would allow them to, with designs on getting their frigid feet as near to the fire as their pet/spouse/kids would permit.

Food 

In my last report I stated that I had one pie at Gig Lane - Mr. Keane asserts that I actually ate two.  There is naturally a completely reasonable explanation for this.  I was only quoting my 'main' pie for the purposes of expenses.  The alleged other pie may have been in lieu of my tea and as such would be inadmissable for expenses.  As an accredited Football League Journalist, I now claim journalistic immunity (which I may have made up) and will answer no further questions on this point.

Away Support

I just don't get this - I really don't.  Crewe is less than an hour's drive away - and they bring less than 200.  Dale took over 1000 to Gresty Road at Christmas.  The 'Crewe Few' were pretty vocal about the referee's decisions throughout - but then, so was everyone...

News

Errrm...  Yeah.  News.  Errr.  Oh!  Dale have a new club sponsor - Bathroom321.  I may be missing my guess here - but I suspect they fit bathrooms.

Action

Your team for today:

GK: Fielding

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

Mid: Atkinson, Taylor, Jones, Obadeyi

For: Dagnall, O'Grady

Bench: Arthur, McArdle, Flynn, Toner, Kennedy(J), Haworth, Higginbotham

Mr. Hill had hinted that there would be changes to the side in the Observer - and indeed there were.  The injured Joe Thompson would be left out in favour of the rather impressive Temitope Obadeyi - and - just when we feared we might never see Gary Jones again this season, Captain Fantastic slotted back into midfield in place of Jason Kennedy.  Kennedy wasn't injured - but my suspicion is that Mr. Hill favoured a more direct pressence in central midfield - which Jones provides in spades.

Crewe have had an in-and-out season - either devastatingly good or alarmingly ordinary.  When Dale played them in December I said they were the best side I had seen all season after they went blow for blow with Rochdale and held them to a 2-2 draw.  Since then, Crewe have conjoured up just one win and have slithered towards mid-table.  Ideally, today would not see a dramatic return to form for the Railwaymen.  Dale haven't scored in two games.  Keep calm and carry on.

The opening ten minutes were action packed - although the first incident proved very damaging to the Crewe cause.  With just five minutes on the clock Crewe front man Calvin Zola set himself to challenge Tom Kennedy, slipped and went to earth.  Clutching his thigh and clearly in some distress he was escorted to the tunnel never to return.  Byron Moore would replace him.

Moments later Obadeyi latched onto a pacy cross from Tom Kennedy, but could only head over the bar.  But Dale didn't relent.  An eel like run into the Railwaymen's area from Dagnall resulted in a thumping shot which flew under Steve Phillips, but Matt Tootle hacked the ball off the line.  Danger over?  No.  Tootle's clearance flew to O'Grady, a touch, a shot, the roof of the net bulged.  1-0 Dale!

Dale subsided and Crewe got into their stride.  Unfortunately, Miller and Moore lacked understanding and seldom received the ball without the linesman's waving stick making an appearance - although the Railwaymen would see a Schumacher freekick paried by Fielding and a great piece of awareness by Murphy result in the ball soaring over the Dale cross bar (my games teacher Mr. McAndrew would have barked 'LEANING BACK BOY!  LEANING BACK!').

Our official for today, Mr. Rushton, had already given some minor cause for concern with some questionable decisions.  Part way through the half he would have the Crewe fans howling.  Moore broke into the Dale area, wrong footed Dawson and drove towards goal, Dawson flattened him.  Even by my highly partisan standards - it was pretty cut and dried, penalty.  Mr. Rushton waved play-on.  Around 3000 souls breathed out in unison.  200 roared indignant disbelief.  

As the half drew to a close Dale drove Crewe back and forced a string of corners.  O'Grady had an effort hacked off the line, Taylor unleashed a shell of a shot which took a nearly suicidal intervention from Worley to turn aside and Dagnall forced a full-stretch save from Phillips. However, 1-0 it remained.

The halftime discussions were upbeat.  With Mr. Jones and Mr. Culshaw I mused on the good fortune Dale had benefitted from.  Crewe's dangerous frontman Zola exiting the game so early and a clear penalty turned down.  Just one minute into the second half - the good fortune continued...

O'Grady burst down the left and unleashed a cross into the Crewe area - but Dale's forwards were all at sixes and sevens - Dagnall was closest to the ball as it flashed across the area - but still yards distant.  The danger seemed to have evaporated when Matt Tootle intervened.  Quite what he was attempting to do was unclear - what he did was leave Steve Phillips with no chance.  2-0 Dale!

Dale were very much on top by now - even some scratchy passing and the ever more baffling  decisions of Mr. Rushton couldn't create a way back for Crewe.  Atkinson, Higginbotham (on for Obadeyi) and Dawson could all have extended the lead - but for the gymnastics of the excellent Phillips in the Crewe goal.

2-0 it ended.

Speak Your Brains

Your cast for today: Mr. Keane, Mr. Mitchell, Keane Jnr. and me.

• Bournemouth drew at Cheltenham.  Dale go six points clear.
• O'Grady.  16 for the season.  What miss?
• Obadeyi was not quite the force he was on Monday - still pretty good though.  Higginbotham was excellent when he arrived on the scene - can he be far from starting a game?
• Great to see Jonah on the field - looked to tire later in the game - a solid performance nonetheless.
• Mr. Rushton.  I have seldom seen both sets of fans scream in disbelief at the decisions of a referee.  Today was one of those occasions.  When you win and blame the ref, there is something seriously wrong.
• Comedy moment: Dario Gradi screaming,'JUST F**CKING ONE OF YOU!' as two Crewe players tripped over the ball, and then one another.
• Mr. Keane asserts that Dale only need twenty points from their remaining 17 games to go up.  Seems do-able. 
• No game next week as Notts County-Enders-Street-Farm are still in 'that' FAmous Cup - a tricky few games over the next month or so though, starting in a fortnight with the latest installment of 'El Classico Del Norte', Dale vs. Daggers.  The licensee trade of the borough are in for a treat.
• Keep calm and carry on.