Hockey: Rochdale Ladies 3 - 0 Stockport Bramhall Ladies

This Saturday 18 March, Rochdale were hosting relegation rivals Stockport Bramhall Ladies 3s and from the outset it was clear neither team wanted it to be them.

The first goal came from a short corner in Rochdale's favour. McDonald injected the ball up to Pickering at the top of the D, who rushed inside the D only to hand it off to Knowles on the left. Knowles took a shot but this was saved by the keeper.

Burrell stopped the rebound and hit it towards the right post, the keeper stopped it, but Yates had flipped her stick to reverse sweep the ball over the line before anyone could intervene.

Despite Stockport's determination to retaliate, Rochdale were able to head them off. They held the ball well, passing between them and moving the play around to stop them getting dug into the clusters Stockport kept trying to draw them into. Even their misses were close to providing some excellent opportunities: such as a strong hit from Burrell on the right wing that flew across the D in the path of both Knowles and Yates, unfortunately it whizzed past both of them too fast for either to get a touch to get control.

A similar long hit was launched into the open space Hockaday was running into, which would have given her a clear run into the D, but she was unable to catch up to it. Both instances saw some smart tactical thinking from Rochdale even though it didn't work out.

It was that kind of persistence that enabled Rochdale to get a second goal. Having worked hard as a team to get back into Stockport's D, they held the ball there well as they kept their chance alive as they dug in to get rebounds and win the ball back every time a defender tried to get it. Hockaday had positioned herself well so that once she had the ball she was able to neatly slap the ball into the back of the net.

Stockport had a few chances of their own for a goal - including some short corners and a goal line clearance - but their closest moment was courtesy of Collinson, who swooped in to clear a free ball in Rochdale's D, but finding her side blocked by a wall of Stockport players, she turned and dribbled across the goal - as if taunting Stockport to tackle her - before sweeping it far out of their D.

Another Rochdale free hit was launched diagonally towards the top right wing, where Hodcroft sprinted after it, literally just keeping the ball in play ahead of the back line, before turning to drive it into the D.

With a pair of defenders blocking her path it was always going to be hard fought to make anything of it, and after a brief tussle for control of the ball, Stockport were able to clear it.

The third goal came from an excellent bit of work on the left wing, with Leech, Yates and Hodcroft passing the ball between them and around their opponents before it was handed off to Burrell at the top left of the D. She turned just enough to smack it down on the inside of the left post clean through a defender and the keeper.

Overall, it was a hard fought game from both teams, but ultimately Rochdale controlled the pitch more to come out ahead and lift themselves out of the relegation zone with a clean sheet.

Final score was 3-0, with Katie Burrell (1), Claire Hockaday (1) and Arabella Yates (1) as Rochdale's goal scorers.

Player of the match was Katie Burrell.

Captain Collinson said: "Beyond brilliant. I couldn’t be prouder of todays performance. Two games to go ladies!”

Rochdale's team:
Keeper; Sam Partington.
Defence; Claire Hoyle, Kieran Leech, Gill Owen & Hannah Palmer.
Midfield; Gemma Hodcroft, Paula McDonald, Roisin Pickering & Arabella Yates.
Forwards; Lily Black & Katie Burrell.
Substitutes: Dionne Collinson, Claire Hockaday & Becky Knowles.