Hockey: Rochdale Ladies 4 - 2 Didsbury Greys Ladies

Debbie Cope - Rochdale Ladies Hockey

Rochdale ladies cruised into the semi-finals of the Greater Manchester Cup on Sunday with a victory over Didsbury Greys.

The format of the cup gives lower division opposition a goal lead from the start so Rochdale began the game 1-0 down.

Despite the handicap Rochdale drew level early on when Debbie Cope latched on to a through ball into the Didsbury D and calmly placed it in to the back of the net.

The game shifted to more and more Rochdale possession and it seemed only a matter of time before Rochdale took the lead, and on the 20-minute mark they thought they had. A penalty flick was awarded to them and in form striker Jenny Banks stepped up and dispatched it, only to be disallowed by the umpire for ‘hitting’ the ball.

The pressure continued and Banks eventually got her goal, putting Rochdale into the lead.

The momentum of the game was beginning to change, but Didsbury were still in it, and equalised with 10 minutes left of the first half.

The Rochdale defence was having to work hard and stay focused, a discipline they have worked hard on this season and as the end of the half came closer, Didsbury tired.

With the hard-working Kate Brammer constantly breaking from defence making attacking runs, Rochdale regained the lead through Banks just before the break .

The second half saw Didsbury tighten up at the back, playing very defensive and making things difficult for Rochdale, and as a consequence the stand in Rochdale keeper Sue Halpin had very little to do, only touching the ball once.

The constant pressure on the Didsbury back four eventually paid off for Rochdale and the game was wrapped up when Banks scored again, sealing victory for Rochdale and securing a semi-final place away at Urmston Ladies in February.

Captain Kie Leech said: “We made it difficult for ourselves, but never gave up. I thought we looked tight defensively and Katie Burrell was fully deserving of the player-of-the-match.”