Three wins, two draws for Rochdale Juniors Hockey Team in GM U15 tournament

Rochdale Juniors Hockey Team

Rochdale Juniors Hockey Team played well in the first round of matches for the Greater Manchester U15 tournament. The tournament comprises of five games once a month, with points being added up over the season.

Rochdale got off to a steady start in match one with a 0-0 draw against Stockport Firsts in which Peter Ransome made a magnificent goal line clearance from a close range shot.

This boosted Rochdale's confidence and they went in to match two against Didsbury Northern with a much higher tempo. Didsbury were one of the few teams Rochdale took points off last year and this year was no exception. With a comfortable display Rochdale ran out 3-0 winners.

Match three saw Rochdale take on Stockport Seconds and after holding Stockport Firsts to a 0-0 draw in the first game Rochdale were looking for their second win of the day. With determined play from Jake Spanswick and Ibrahim Omar in midfield and Tom Kershaw working down the right hand side they kept Stockport under constant pressure, which eventually paid off and Rochdale won 1-0.

Match four saw Rochdale playing their third game without a break and legs were beginning to tire. Facing Bowden, a team that had put 15 goals past them without a single reply last year, it was always going to be a tall order, but clearly Bowden had not been watching Rochdale's other games, as they were a very different prospect from last year. Despite the weary legs Rochdale scored and held on for a 1-0 win and earnt a well deserved rest before the last game.

Timperley were the last opponents of the day, again a team Rochdale had struggled with last year, but great team spirit and a series of saves at the end from Sam Jackson in the Rochdale goal saw the game run out a 0-0 draw.

Winning three of the five games and drawing the remaining two whilst keeping five clean sheets in the process was a great set of results which puts Rochdale in a strong position going in to the next round of matches in November.