Rochdale Online Alliance Football League Report

Rochdale Online Alliance Football League

The first full Rochdale Online Alliance Football League programme of 2014 saw the semi finalists of the Alletson & Mitchell Memorial Trophy finally decided; Fothergill & Whittles 2nds close the gap on Sudden in the Matterson Cranes First Division and FC Bury Town increase the pressure on the chasing pack in the Sartori Sharpening Services Premier Division.

An Andy Eastwood double earned Chadderton Park a 2-1 home win over an unlucky Wardle OB, and a last four tie with Rochdale Asia, who themselves were fortunate to overcome a Horse & Farrier side who turned in a ninety minute shift unrecognisable from their efforts of a week ago. Omar Malik (2) and Syed Hussain were Asia’s scorers but they will need to do much better in the league this weekend as they face leaders Sudden at Firgrove.

The surprise result of the day was Mighty Dragons 3-1 win at Whitworth Valley 2nds, courtesy of a Mike Cahill hat trick, and they will now face Hargreaves, who overcame Syke on penalties at Kingsway Sports Centre.

In the league another comprehensive victory for Fothergill & Whittles 2nds, based around five more goals for the prolific Andy White,  moves them above Rochdale Asia and sees them four points behind the leaders now, with two games in hand.

The win sets up an intriguing Division 1 double header this weekend as Fothergills travel to Rawstron Street to face Whitworth Valley 2nds whilst first face third at Firgrove.

Sudden have fourteen wins and a draw in their last fifteen league games and Rochdale Asia have nine wins and a draw in their last ten so a no holds barred encounter is expected. Defeat for Rochdale Asia will almost certainly cost them the title, if not promotion, whilst Sudden know a loss will make Fothergills 2nds clear title favourites.

With Whitworth Valley’s away win at Balderstone reversed, due to them inadvertently playing an ineligible player, FC Bury Town now find themselves two points behind Balderstone, with a game in hand, after their 4-0 home win over Star Athletic. Pyrah (2), Qualters and Mulhall their scorers.

Valley’s own title hopes have undoubtedly been dealt a significant, but not terminal, setback, and a hugely impressive 3-1 home win over Fothergill & Whittles demonstrated their resolve.

All their home games in March have been switched to the impressive 3G facility at Fearns and it certainly suits Valley’s 'get the ball down and play' approach. For half an hour it looked like Fothergills would be blown away by Valley’s all round purpose and poise on the ball, with Paul Wain controlling the game in midfield and Matthew Willetts non stop movement and running up front pulling the Fothergills’ defence apart time and time again.

Wain himself exploited one such occasion to ghost in and head home at the back post and Foster made it 2-0 on twenty minutes. At this point Fothergills’ canny manager Martin Nuttall switched his side’s system and gradually they began to see more of the ball and use it to greater purpose. Their fight back, however, seemed to be ended by a third Valley goal from Craggs after sixty four minutes but a well taken goal from Andy Law four minutes later ensured Valley could not relax as Fothergills pushed them further and further back in the closing stages.

Nevertheless, Valley were worthy winners and with games in hand on the top two, and six home games out of the eight left to play, including a visit from FC Bury Town, they are still very much in the title mix.

Fothergills have a battle of their own, albeit of a very different nature, but with injured and unavailable players due to return, and with six of their last nine games at home, they will be confident of overtaking Rochdale Sacred Heart and thus avoiding relegation.

To that end a Jake Jackson hat trick was welcome news as it enabled Woodbank to record a 6-1 win over RSH at Firgrove, while both Danny Brown and Joe Gale recorded hat tricks in Walsden’s surprisingly emphatic win at White Lion, who had to play most of the game with ten men after a deliberate handball on the line saw the offender correctly dismissed by referee John Cunningham.

With Valley in President’s Cup action on Saturday they will be hopeful of positive news on the league front as both Balderstone and FC Bury Town face tricky looking fixtures away at Walsden and at home to King William IV respectively.