ROAFL Report

Rochdale Online Alliance Football League

Wardle’s key weekend in the ROAFL provided a mixed return for the club as the season nears its proposed mid winter break.

Remarkably only a handful of games fell foul of the very wet Friday night and Wardle 2nds trip across the border was one of those. So whilst the 3rds were sliding to defeat at Firgrove against White Lion the firsts were busy turning the Sartori Sharpening Services Premier Division into what would appear to be a foregone conclusion, even with five months to go.

A brace apiece for leading scorer Darren Smith and sub Chris Dewhurst were more than enough to dispatch nearest challengers Whitworth Valley at Rutherford Park, with Ryan Hill adding the fifth goal for good measure.

Balderstone moved into second place with a 3-0 home win over Asia with referee Dave Chisnall praising both sides for their attitude and sportsmanship throughout the game. That early season failed fixture against Wardle looks like it will cost Balderstone dearly, and the third programmed meeting between the two clubs on December 1st will have a crucial bearing on the latter half of the season.

Elsewhere, Rochdale Asia are celebrating their first league point of the season as two goals from Kashif Rafiq and one from Tanveer Aslam earned them a 3-3 draw at Goshen against FC Bury Town, whilst Moorcock came back from a two goal deficit late on to record the same scoreline against Fothergill & Whittles at Firgrove.

The early passing and movement of F&W was a joy to behold and the difficult surface did not seem to be having any adverse effect upon them. Their two touch football was just too good for their hosts and Lord and Morton soon had them into a two goal lead.
Perhaps a key moment occurred on the half hour as the Moorcock keeper Caton blocked a close range shot but could only watch helplessly as the follow up was blazed over the bar from twelve yards with the goal gaping, quickly followed by some serious indecision in the F&W defence which led to Alfrey halving the deficit when his side really should have been three down.

Nevertheless, F&W regained their composure and continued to thread their way through the Moorcock defences, and Ives restored their two goal lead with a towering header from a corner just before the break. And so the pattern continued into the second period with Morton hitting the post and Caton taking a break from advising the referee of his failings to make important stops from Crossley and Smythe. At 3-1 with less than five minutes to play F&W really should have closed this one out but when you are not winning games crucial breaks go against you and, as Moorcock appealed vociferously for a free kick in the middle of the park and F&W hesitated, the referee played an advantage and Moorcock broke quickly to set Alfrey free for his second goal of the afternoon.

Now it was Moorcock’s turn to pour forward and they gained a succession of corners as the game entered added time and from one of those Grindrod could not hold on to the ball and Haworth forced home an equaliser from close range.

Only one game survived in the Matterson Cranes First Division and Rochdale Sacred Heart pushed Hargreaves further into the relegation mire with 3-1 home win thanks to goals from Hogan, Smith and Hibbert.

No less than eight different scorers for leaders Woodbank in the Matthew Montgomery & Co Division Two game against Horse & Farrier with four more for leading scorer James McDonald as his side maintained their two point advantage at the top from White Lion.

Sudden are third now and could well cause problems for the top two in the new year as goals from Lawlor and Connolly earned them an impressive 2-0 away win at AFC Royton, whilst in the other game played in this division a Simon Clarke hat trick gave F&W 3rds their fourth league win of the season against Rochdale Galaxy.