Hockey: Windermere Men's Seconds 1 - 10 Rochdale Men's Seconds

Imran Ansari scores from a cheeky lob

It’s a long trip to Windermere and the journey home can feel a lot longer if you’ve been on the end of a defeat, but that was not the case for Rochdale Men's Seconds on Saturday as they finally got their league campaign up and running.

After the losing the first two games Rochdale needed a win desperately.

Playing with the third different keeper in as many games and giving some of the older juniors a run out it was crucial for confidence to get off to a good start. This selection blended youth and experience and it seemed to work wonders for Rochdale.

Imran Ansari settled in to his familiar role of midfield general pulling the strings, controlling the game from start to finish.

Barry Gumbley’s ability to hold the ball up in and around the opposition D allowed the Rochdale midfield to almost strike at will and by half time Rochdale were 5-1 in front, totally dominating the game and confidence was sky high.

The dominance was such that from a second half short corner, taken by Gumbley, Ansari tried his trade-mark cheeky lob and it paid off dropping over the keeper into the back of the net.

The game finished 10-1 to Rochdale with goals from Barry Gumbley (4), Dean Close (3), Anthony Daily (1), Andy Manock (1) and Imran Ansari (1).

The result lifts Rochdale in to sixth position in the league. 

Captain Karl Wynn said: “We knew we had to win here. Windermere had been beaten heavily last week, so we knew quick early goals would break their spirit.

“I can’t praise the guys enough, we know what we are capable of and have been unlucky the last two weeks but todays result gives us great confidence now for the rest of the season.”

The Quat-Chem man-of-the-match award went to Barry Gumbley.