Rochdale Online Alliance Football League

Rochdale Online Alliance Football League

Week 26 of the ROAFL looked likely to be the defining Saturday in the Matthew Montgomery & Co First Division title race, and one of great significance at the top of the Sartori Sharpening Services Premier Division.

Sadly, it may well prove to be the defining weekend re the future of the league, with very little action on the pitch but plenty to digest, discuss and decide off it.

With Whittles Park unfit after heavy rain through Thursday night into Friday morning Fothergill & Whittles switched their crucial league encounter with leaders White Lion to Greenvale. A win for Mark Horner’s side would have almost certainly ended Fothergill’s interest in the title, but having to don his kit and make up the numbers for the second time this season would most certainly not have been in the White Lion manager’s pre match plans.

His patched up side looked good going forward, but less assured at the back, and were a goal down at half time after Andy White netted from close range in the twenty third minute.
Both sides had chances in the early stages of the second half, but the crucial second goal was gifted to Fothergills just after the hour mark when the visitor’s keeper failed to deal with a ball across his area, pulling down White and gifting him a penalty which he duly converted.

Neither keeper had much to do following that as both sides cancelled each other out in the middle of the park, and the 2-0 win moves Fothergills to within four points of the leaders with three games in hand.

The two other title contenders seem likely to have been gifted points as Rochdale Asia failed their away fixture at third placed Woodbank, and Balderstone failed their fixture at fourth placed Walsden.

Given that possible scenario the race for the title would now look like this:

WHITE LION (Played 14 : 27 Points)
Balderstone (H)
Sudden (H)

WOODBANK (11 : 25)
Fothergill & Whittles (H)
Walsden (H)
Fothergill & Whittles (A)
Walsden (A)
Rochdale Sacred Heart (A)

FOTHERGILLS (11 : 23)
Woodbank (H)
Falcon (H)
Rochdale Asia (H)
Walsden (A)
Woodbank (A)

WALSDEN (11 : 23)
Falcon (H)
Fothergill & Whittles (H)
Sudden (H)
Woodbank (H)
Woodbank (A)

Should White Lion win their last two games, and complete their league season with thirty three points, then Woodbank would need to win three of their last five games to overhaul them, whilst Fothergills and Walsden would need to win four of their last five. Given that the chasing trio meet each other at least three times in their last five games then all may not yet be lost for the current leaders.

The much anticipated Mighty Dragons v Fothergills 2nds clash sadly failed to materialise as those aforementioned player withdrawals meant Fothergills were unable to raise a side ; a bitterly disappointing end to what could have been an enthralling race for the Division 1 title had Fothergills ended Dragons’ unbeaten league record.

Subject to appeal, Dragons now require a mere four points from their remaining five games to claim the title, and they must be confident of picking up three of the four at Wardle OB this Saturday.

Full credit to Rochdale Sacred Heart who also suffered from player unavailability which meant they went in to their President’s Cup First Round tie v Wardle OB at Firgrove with just eight players !

Facing “mission impossible” at two nil down they almost unbelievably battled back to win 3-2 with goals from Luke Coulman, Jared Allen and Michael Thompson. Congratulations to all eight players, and to the Hearts’ management for ensuring the game went ahead ; a kind draw in the quarter finals is the least they deserve.

Chadderton Park have a chance to spring a cup upset this Saturday as they host Falcon at Clayton, whilst the week’s milder weather should ensure the Premier Division title race continues on three fronts ; leaders White Lion face bottom club Balderstone at Bowlee, and three points would heap the pressure on Walsden, who have a tricky home game against Sudden, and arguably even more so on Fothergills and Woodbank who meet at Whittles Park.