Rochdale Online Alliance Football League

Rochdale Online Alliance Football League

Another intriguing weekend in the Rochdale Online Alliance Football League concluded with a significant win for Fothergill & Whittles in the Premier Division title race, White Lion’s exit from the Chairman’s Cup and Chadderton Park replacing Mighty Dragons at the top of Division One.

Fothergill are up to third, seven points behind leaders White Lion with three games in hand, after a resounding home win over a desperately out of form Rochdale Sacred Heart side, and attention now turns to Saturday’s crucial home fixture against the leaders at Whittles Park.

White Lion are in danger of imploding, two more players, Ste Cass and Tom Currie, were sent off in their cup defeat at Walsden, making it an unprecedented six in their last four games. Walsden also had a player see red but five goals for Danny Brown saw his side safely through to the last four.

Sudden now require a point from their last game to top the group and face Rochdale Asia in the semi finals, a scenario that would leave Walsden to play Fothergill & Whittles in the other half of the draw.

Sudden warmed up with a comprehensive victory over Balderstone at Kingsway Sports Centre, with no less than seven different scorers and hat tricks for Tony Knight and Danny Holmes. The win moves them up to fifth, which is where they seem bound to finish due to their slow start to the season and their part in the abandoned game with Rochdale Asia last December.

Chadderton Park top the Matthew Montgomery & Co Division One table for the first time after a 1-0 away win at Rochdale Galaxy in a game low on significant action, possibly due to the fact that both sides will face each other again soon in one of the Alletson & Mitchell Memorial Trophy semi finals. Tom Limmack scored the goal and Andy Eastwood kept a clean sheet in a rare outing in the number one shirt.

Elsewhere, Hargreaves did their chances of a top four finish no harm with a 3-2 home win over Wardle OB with goals from Eardley, Wilcock and Allen.

Falcon Seconds picked up only their second league win of the season in completing the double over a F&W Rovers outfit that has had, for them, a disappointing season.

As well as the aforementioned Fothergill & Whittles v White Lion Premier Division clash, this weekend features a crucial Division One meeting at Hollinwood CC between second and third, Mighty Dragons and Fothergill & Whittles Seconds.

A win for the visitors would keep alive their fading hopes of a second successive league title, whilst a win for Dragons would all but secure the title for them in only their second season of open age football.

In cup action, Sudden look to secure the Chairman’s Cup point needed against Falcon at Matthew Moss, and what odds on a surprise in the President’s Cup at Firgrove as Wardle OB host Rochdale Sacred Heart?