Hockey: Rochdale Ladies 0 - 1 Didsbury Northern 5ths

This weekend Rochdale hosted Didsbury Northern 5ths, continuing a run of waterlogged matches and hoping to break their current streak of losses.

Despite some players being out of their regular positions, Rochdale started strong, intercepting Didsbury passes and finding open space to work their way into their opposition's defence. Hodcroft passed to Parton to evade Didsbury, then received the ball straight back once around the player, before passing it off to Pickering on the wing. Pickering dashed down the pitch before crossing the ball to Banks just inside the D, who quickly pivoted around a defender to get a shot off, but the ball sailed just wide of the post.

A Didsbury short corner briefly gave Rochdale cause for concern, but with McDonald disrupting their plan, Hoyle was able to claim the ball and clear it back up the pitch.

Mongan was absolutely resolute as left back, no one was getting past her, as she put paid to a number of Didsbury attacks and passed the ball back up the line to Yates. Yates used her speed to outmanoeuvre the players who attempted to halt her progress, passing the ball through them and running onto it herself, before finally smacking it into the D for Burrell. Burrell's shot on goal was saved by the keeper, and Rochdale made a good effort to get the rebound, but unfortunately they weren't able to keep hold of it.

Didsbury were finally able to secure a goal with perseverance and creating an overload that prevented Rochdale from fully blocking them out, resulting in a pass around Partington that was impossible for her to cover both angles.

After a persistent effort on Rochdale's part to keep play firmly in Didsbury's defensive area, they were awarded a short corner. Banks received it at the top of the D and took her shot the moment the ball was back in the D only for the keeper to save it. Hodcroft got the rebound but it was just out of reach for Burrell at the post to deflect it in.

For a time both teams seemed evenly matched, with the ball being driven up the pitch one way and then back the other as each side's defenders foiled the other's attempts. This finally came to an end when a free hit at the top of Rochdale's D from Knowles found Parton in the midfield, who knocked it to Hodcroft who weaved around her opposition and passed it to Banks in the D. Banks got her shot off but it was stopped by the Didsbury defence, and in the scramble to reclaim it a short corner was awarded to Rochdale. Banks received it again, but this time passed sideways to Hodcroft who belted it at the goal, yet again the keeper saved it but this time Didsbury cleared it from their D before Rochdale could make use of the rebound.

A plucky Didsbury player smacked it straight at the goal from just outside the top of the D. Another Didsbury player in the D attempted to get her stick to it at the same time as Palmer tackled for the ball, neither of them actually got to it, and as it hit the backboard it was declared a no goal because no one had touched the ball inside the D.

A free hit from Knowles found Pickering, who cut through the midfield almost all the way to the far wing from her usual position, weaving around Didsbury players to retain control of the ball before handing it off to Yates who then cut back across towards Didsbury's goal. Her pass into the D was intercepted but Parton dug her heels in to reclaim it before Didsbury were able to capitalise on it. She passed it back square to Yates, who in turn handed it over to Burrell down the line. Burrell ran into the D to take a shot, only to be blocked out by the opposition and the ball cleared.

Another Didsbury attack on Rochdale's defence was channeled out by Knowles, and as her opponent tried to cut in near the baseline Knowles managed to tackle for the ball, accidentally lifting it only to catch it, then toss it away due to sheer surprise. It resulted in another short corner for Didsbury, but Rochdale were able to see it off with Knowles and Hoyle running out and the latter clearing it down the pitch.

Nearing the end of the game and Rochdale were desperate for a goal, having come close a number of times, and their determination gave them a chance in the form of another short corner. They tried changing things up by taking it from the other side, using the short pass before crossing it to the runners in the space they'd opened up, but the ball went over the line just the wrong side of the post.

Claire Hoyle was named as the player of the match.

Team captain Becky Knowles said: "We are getting better each week, the ladies should be proud.”

Rochdale's team for this week:
Keeper; Sam Partington.
Defence; Claire Hoyle, Nikki Mongan, Hannah Palmer & Paula McDonald.
Midfield; Gemma Hodcroft, Daisy Parton, Roisin Pickering & Arabella Yates.
Forwards; Jenny Banks & Katie Burrell.
Subsitute: Becky Knowles