Rochdale Online Alliance Football League

Rochdale Online Alliance Football League

Only three games survived the under cover of darkness downpours in the Rochdale Online Alliance Football League last Saturday, but those three games provided crucial outcomes in three different competitions.

Alletson & Mitchell Memorial Trophy holders Mighty Dragons are out of this season’s competition after a 3-2 home defeat to Rochdale Galaxy. Goals from Rigby, Mirand and Porter earned Galaxy a semi final tie against Chadderton Park, whilst Fothergill & Whittles 2nds will face Hargreaves in the other semi final.

An understrength Falcon side were no match for Walsden in the Chairman’s Cup game, switched to Kingsway Sports Centre 3G, as they were blown away quite literally by a brown gale. Four goals for Danny Brown and three for Joe Gale gave Walsden a 7-1 'away' win that means a draw in their final group game against White Lion will see them through to the last four stage.

In the day's only surviving league fixture, White Lion took a significant step towards a first league title by ending Sudden’s six match winning run with a 4-3 win, also on 3G at Matthew Moss.

In a tight game Sudden led 1-0 at the break through a Danny Holmes goal and when Fitz McKenzie doubled their advantage on the hour mark it resulted in scenes which are simply not acceptable to the league - White Lion's Daniel Talbot was dismissed for foul and abusive language and other Lion players and management were fortunate to avoid disciplinary measures from the match official.

The contrasting facets of this Lion side were clearly illustrated in an almost surreal final twenty minutes as firstly Fran Lee brought them back into the game with a superb curling effort into the top corner from twenty yards, before Elliot Whalley profited from a fortunate rebound to equalise from close range just a minute later.

Almost immediately Holmes restored Sudden’s lead, and when Lion were reduced to nine men after a further act of petulance, this time from Danny Wolstenholme, there seemed no way back for the leaders. However, cue Ste Cass as, spotting Sudden keeper Chris Chaplin off his line, he attempted an audacious chip from the half way line that bounced once before sailing over Chaplin’s head and into the net to level matters at three each inside the final ten minutes.

What Ste Cass can do it would seem Tom Currie can do even better, as just two minutes later Currie controlled the ball at least fifteen yards inside his own half and he too sent the ball sailing first bounce over Chaplin and in for the most unlikely of winners.

Wild celebrations for Lion on the final whistle as they celebrated a quite extraordinary victory that sends them five points clear of Woodbank at the top, though Woodbank do have three games in hand.

Of more concern for manager Mark Horner needs to be the fact that Lion have now had no less than four players sent off in their last three games as they enter a crucial period of games in three competitions.

Realistically, they need to win all three of their remaining league games, against Balderstone and Sudden at home, and Fothergill & Whittles away, and they must beat Walsden in their final Chairman’s Cup group game to avoid elimination.

They almost certainly seem set to face Walsden again in the President’s Cup and such a testing set of fixtures requires the flexibility and depth of a full squad if they are to achieve the success they aim for.