Pressure on Parkin after Pathetic Performance

Stockport County 3 – 0 Rochdale

Rochdale put in an awful display away at bottom side Stockport County on Tuesday night and Rochdale fans were again left to question how much longer Steve Parkin’s managerial tenure at the Spotland club would last. There were cries for Parkin’s head from some sections of the travelling support at the final whistle following a performance void of any attacking prowess and a defensive display that was nothing short of shambolic.

Rochdale’s current plight can be spelled out most simply by stating that they have won just one game from their last twelve outings; a run which will spell their exit from the football league if it continues and judging by the abject display at Stockport, it shows no signs of stopping. This 3-0 defeat at County was even more worrying in that the home side did not play particularly well and that Rochdale were always in the game without ever looking like doing anything about their heavy demise.

The warning signs were there for the visitors from an early stage but there was little Rochdale could do about the fact that the centre-half partnership of McArdle and Boardman simply were not up to the task of keeping Stockport at bay. Parkin had, frankly, got the team selection all wrong; Gallimore, a proven centre half this season, was played at left-back with Alan Goodall, one of Rochdale’s most consistent performers, forced on to the bench, whilst there were two makeshift wingers on the flanks; Cooksey, a central midfield player, on the left, Dagnall, a striker, on the right.

Cooksey worked solidly down the left hand side and he enjoyed plenty of possession in the opening exchanges but at times he looked lost on the flank with crosses going astray and seldom troubling the Stockport defence. The opening ten minutes proved to be fairly level with the visitors finding their feet against a Stockport side which looked edgy and nervous given their league position. A match changing substitution occurred with just five minutes played as the home side were forced to bring on Matt Hamshaw for the injured Liam Dickinson.

Hamshaw’s presence in the midfield enabled them to take control in the centre of the park with Rochdale’s John Doolan and Gary Jones seldom having time to get the ball down and play. This left Rochdale playing an ineffective tactic of long balls up to the strikers from the flailing boots of the centre halves; meat and drink for the Stockport defence.

The visitors did, however, have the better of the early chances and better finishing could have seen them take the lead. Lyesden Christie fired over after creating himself some space and then tested the keeper following his turn and shot; Spencer set his tone for the evening in the Stockport goal by dealing with the situation comfortably. Although County were by now getting well into the game the better chances still belonged to Dale; the home defence could not deal with a corner from the left but somehow the visiting attack were unable to scramble the ball home.

The games major turning point then occurred with twenty-five minutes gone. Christie again showing good skills down the right hand side hit a cross into the box and the ball found Cooksey at the back post via the head of a Stockport defender. Cooksey should have opened the scoring as the ball dropped kindly for him to volley but he drilled the ball wide of the post to the delight of the home fans behind the goal. The miss proved crucial as Stockport’s next attack produced the opening goal. McArdle was inept in dealing with a simple cross from the County left and Gallimore could only clear as far as Boshell who curled the ball past a helpless Gilks.  The visiting fans were still showing their dismay at the incompetence of the defence in conceding the goal by the time County struck a second five minutes later. The Dale defence was again beaten with considerable ease; Briggs’ low cross from the right was volleyed beyond Gilks by Griffin from six-yards with barely a Rochdale defender in sight to deal with the situation.

Rochdale continued in the same vein following the setback by creating half chances but it already seemed as though the Stockport goal would not be troubled too often as the visitors failed to give their strikers anything meaningful to work with; Rochdale’s midfield seemed a non-entity given the nature of the punts up field from the back. Chris Dagnall had Dale’s best chance before halftime as he showed superb technique to hit an acrobatic volley which Spencer did well to parry away. The half came to a close with no more chances for either side but Rochdale’s centre halves were still troubled by anything that came their way.

The second half proved to be one of the dullest affairs of Rochdale’s season thus far. County seemed happy to let the home side have the ball and ensure that their two goal lead remained whilst the visitors were incapable of creating anything with their possession. With Dale’s ineffective camp set up in the Stockport half  chances were few and far between; Doolan and Jones both hit shots wide from the edge of the box whilst the occasional counter attack from the Edgeley Park outfit failed to extend their lead; Matthew Gilks doing well to prevent Tes Bramble when Rochdale’s defence was breached once more.

The most clear cut second half chance came the way of the visitors but in truth Simon Ramsden knew little about his own effort on goal as the ball unexpectedly hit the right back’s head following a Lambert corner, Spencer was thankful to see the ball go straight into his hands when it could have gone anywhere. The force of a lacklustre Dale attack was now seemingly spent and the game moved slowly towards its inevitable conclusion whilst the travelling supporters moved more quickly towards the exits. The home side then caused a mass exit from the away end by scoring a third goal. Keith Briggs added to his assist by finding the back of the net although the midfielder looked to be offside when he received the ball some forty yards from goal before rounding Gilks and slotting the ball into the empty net.

The final whistle brought a chorus of boos from the visiting fans that had chosen to see the game through to the bitter end and the Dale players trudged from the field in the knowledge that they had been well beaten by a  Stockport side who took a major step towards saving themselves from the drop. Rochdale, on the other hand, took a step closer to the relegation fight and if performances like this continue they will have to keep more than a watchful eye on what unfolds at the bottom of League Two.