Rochdale Online Alliance Football League report

Rochdale Online Alliance Football League

The rain and snow conspired to wipe out all but two games in last Saturday’s Rochdale Online Alliance Football League programme, and it was a case of modern technology to the fore as Rochdale Asia maintained their one hundred percent league record in Division One and White Lion edged a crucial Premier Division contest with close rivals Walsden.

Mark Horner, the White Lion manager, had spent a significant amount of his time in acquiring a 3G pitch in the knowledge that Firgrove would once again be unable to withstand the elements, and his endeavours were rewarded with a third league win in five against a Walsden side keen to make up for their slow start to the season.

The game did not get off to the best of starts for White Lion as key forward Jonny Munson was injured in the seventh minute and had to be replaced, but they enjoyed the better of the first half and led 2-1 at the interval with goals from Jay Hughes and Ste Cass.

The second half proved equally competitive, and the significant passage of play saw White Lion keeper Lee McAdam make an outstanding save from Paul Marrow before James Matthews scored at the other end to give the home side a two goal advantage.

Walsden refused to accept defeat and reduced the deficit through substitute Marrow, whose introduction had galvanised his side, but as the game became a little too heated Walsden’s Martin Harlow was dismissed for a second caution and an equaliser remained out of reach for his team.

The win keeps White Lion well in the chase for the Sartori Sharpening Services Premier Division title, a chase that still involves eight of the division’s nine teams, with only newly promoted Chadderton Park failing to make an impact on the pitch to date.

The Matthew Montgomery & Co First Division already appears to be a two horse race between leaders Rochdale Asia and Fothergill & Whittles 2nds, the latter five points behind the leaders and certain in the knowledge that if they do not record a win over Asia in their home league game against them then their title hopes will be over for another season.

Hargreaves arrived at Kingsway Sports Centre with four league wins in five but they were simply blown away in a first half dominated by Rochdale Asia; a 4-1 half time lead accrued through goals from Omar Malik, Deon Rhodes, Zaheer Hussain and Osama Alwarfarli.

It could have been worse for Hargreaves, who seemed unable to deal with the pace and movement of the Asia players, particularly in the middle of the pitch, and Paul Allen’s goal right on the half time whistle seemed little more than scant consolation.

Whatever was said to the visitors by manager Mick Klyz during the break certainly had the desired effect, as Hargreaves almost immediately reduced the arrears with an outstanding individual goal from Jordan Wilcock.

Suddenly Asia were not enjoying as much of the ball as they had in the first half, and as chances came and went for Hargreaves the leaders were certainly looking a lot less self assured.

A third goal might well have created the platform for a shock, but on seventy two minutes Rhodes broke away down the right hand side with Hargreaves appealing for offside and his clinical finish restored Asia’s three goal advantage.

There was still time for substitute Jack Grundy to make it 3-5 but, as so often happens, a determined and creative second half was undermined by goals in time added on from Malik and Hussain to give the final scoreline an unfair reflection of certainly the second half, if not the game as a whole.

Hargreaves’ keeper Joe Cowan had an excellent game for the Bury based outfit and likewise his opposite number, Jonathan Perez, who safeguarded his side’s lead with faultless positional play and handling throughout.

With the current forecast perhaps offering more than just a glimmer of hope for weekend there are three key games in the top division as Fothergill & Whittles and leaders Rochdale Sacred Heart head for Firgrove to face FC Littleborough and White Lion respectively, whilst Sudden face Walsden at Matthew Moss.