Dickinson dampens Dale’s best display

Rochdale 1 (Le Fondre 69 pen)
Stockport County 2 (Dickinson 28, 53)

Rochdale outplayed visitors Stockport County throughout but two Liam Dickinson goals either side of half time gave the Hatters the all important three points. The contrasting attitudes of the two managers in their respective press conferences was astounding given the result but Jim Gannon’s despondency and Keith Hill’s positive outlook showed how much Rochdale had been in the ascendancy.

“I feel sorry for Rochdale”, said Gannon. “They deserved to win this game and I’m very disappointed with the way we played.”

Gannon declared that “what has gone on here tonight has left a sour taste in my mouth”; a thinly veiled reference to his side’s display and the attitude of striker Anthony Elding after County’s top scorer was substituted at half time. “He was not in the right frame of mind to play”, said the Stockport boss.

A thrilling game saw missed chances, mostly for Rochdale, contentious decisions from the officials and two sets of supporters fully engaged in the battle, the perfect recipe for a derby game.

Rochdale dominated from the start and seldom looked back but with no-one to finish off some fine flowing moves it was left to the visitors to almost apologetically show their hosts the way to goal.

If there was ever a game in which Rochdale missed striker Chris Dagnall, out for the season with a knee injury, then this was it. They needed a goal scorer to pop up and score at the right moments, especially during a period of sustained pressure in the first twenty minutes, and from there they could have kicked on to record the win that their football deserved.

But football has a knack of kicking sides in the teeth. Rochdale did it to Dagenham on Saturday and here they were on the receiving end of football’s unpredictable nature.

Games can often hinge on a single noticeable incident, a touch of magic from a player, a slice of good fortunate, or in this case, a highly debatable decision by one of the match officials.

When Rochdale full back Kelvin Lomax released Kallum Higginbotham down the right hand side, the tricky young winger, making his first start for the club, was in the clear, if a long way from goal, having got beyond a flat County back line. The linesman intervened, giving offside, not against Higginbotham but against Adam Le Fondre who the official believed to have made a movement towards the ball from an offside position.

Rochdale failed to defend the resulting free kick properly. Adam Griffin got to the by-line and cut the ball back for Dickinson to fire home via a deflection that carried the ball beyond James Spencer and into the Dale goal.

“It’s a very contentious decision from the linesman,” said Keith Hill. “I think we were still unhinged by the decision instead of doing our jobs. I am disappointed that some of the officials we are getting are costing us dearly.”

The same linesman had earlier disallowed a Rochdale goal for offside after Glenn Murray had sliced a volley to Le Fondre and his shot was eventually scrambled in via goalkeeper and an onrushing Rory Prendergast. The linesman had already flagged Le Fondre offside.

“Le Fondre is adamant he was onside,” said Hill. “It’s probably the case tonight that a bad linesman has cost us.”

Conrad Logan in the Stockport goal was kept busy throughout. With the game still goalless he tipped Higginbotham’s goal bound free kick onto the crossbar and got down smartly to deny Gary Jones a goal from the edge of the box.

After Stockport had scored against the run of play, normal service was resumed at the other end but Logan continued to thwart the home side. He dived full length to catch Glenn Murray’s flick from a Prendergast corner and got down low to his near post to keep out a Higginbotham drive.

As the half drew to a close, Prendergast’s free kick found its way through all the bodies and Logan did well to make a late save to stop the ball creeping in at the far corner.

Not too disheartened by their arrears at the break, Rochdale picked up where they left off at the start of the second half but their luck in front of goal was not for changing. Le Fondre’s low curled attempt was turned away by Logan at full stretch in what proved to be a key save as Stockport’s killer second goal came minutes later.

It came all too easily for the visitors. The simplest of floated free kicks into the box by Jason Taylor was met with the simplest of unchallenged headers by Dickinson and the ball made its way all too easily into the far corner of the net.

Rochdale pushed on again but their finishing simply was not up to scratch and while Stockport could reflect on scoring from both of their two attempts on target, the home side were left to reflect on, according to Keith Hill, “a lot of foreplay but not a lot going on in the box.”

Glenn Murray missed the most presentable of chances but could only nod Prendergast’s pin-point cross straight into the grateful hands of Logan.

That was before Rochdale were handed a lifeline from the penalty spot that put them right back in the game. Jason Taylor was adjudged to have handled Prendergast’s cross at close quarters and Le Fondre made no mistake from the spot to score against his former club.

However, a barnstorming finish never truly materialised and although the ball belonged almost entirely to Rochdale, chances did not come with it. Strong and stern Stockport defending, the only element of Stockport’s play that Jim Gannon felt worthy of praise at the end of the game, was enough to move County above Dale in the League Two table.

Attendance: 2915

Rochdale: Spencer, Lomax (Crooks 83), Holness, McArdle, Kennedy, Higginbotham (Muirhead 84), Jones, Perkins, Prendergast (Taylor 67), Murray, Le Fondre.
Subs not used: Russell, Rundle.

Booked: Kennedy, McArdle.

Stockport: Logan, Smith, Tierney, Owen, Turnbull, Pilkington (Rose 77), Taylor, Griffin, McNeil, Elding (Briggs 46), Dickinson (Bowler 87).

Booked: Tierney, Taylor.

Attempts (on target): Rochdale 8 (7) Stockport 5 (2)
Freekicks: Rochdale 14 Stockport 20
Offside: Rochdale 5 Stockport 1
Corners: Rochdale 7 Stockport 6

Referee: M Jones.

More match photographs to follow.