Rochdale 3 (Rundle 27, Thompson 81, Buckley 90) Aldershot 1 (Morgan 66) – Full Time Report

Photo: Jon Coluccio

Chris Dagnall gets beyond Chris Blackburn.

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Rochdale made it back to back victories maintain their interest at the top end of the League Two table. They made hard work of it against an Aldershot side that have now lost six consecutive away games, but goals from Adam Rundle, Joe Thompson and Will Buckley secured the win.

Rochdale led at the interval thanks to Adam Rundle’s deflected shot. Aldershot made Dale pay for missed opportunities when Marvin Morgan netted the equaliser but Thompson, and Buckley in the last minute, rescued a deserved win for the home side.

Keith Hill admitted after the game that Dale should have put the game to bed sooner.

“To be honest I thought we should have had six or seven again because the performance was better than the score line suggests.

“In the end it could have been two each. Aldershot could have got something from the game that they should not have done and they nearly did.

“One day we will get done with those lapses in concentration at both ends of the pitch but it was not to be today. We hit the post and had a stonewall penalty denied and in the end we could have been talking about a 1-1 draw or a 2-2 draw but we are not, we are talking about a win.”

The winger found the net on his return to the first team as he shot first time from Chris Dagnall’s pass. The ball clipped an Aldershot defender to take it away from Nikki Bull and into the corner.

Aldershot made a bright start in possession but it was the home side who carved out the first chance as Chris Dagnall turned a Rory McArdle clearance into a good ball by outpacing Anthony Charles and carving a route to goal. A heavy touch from the Dale striker allowed Nikki Bull in the Aldershot goal to save.

Charles was in trouble again minutes later, this time with the referee as he ruthlessly cut down Joe Thompson in a not dissimilar fashion to Glenn Rule, who was sent off for the same offence in the Chester game on Tuesday night. Referee Clive Oliver was more lenient towards the Aldershot left back.

Dale kicked on and twice Dagnall should have given them the lead. First a corner dropped his way to rifle in a shot that was blocked on the line and then from the second, more presentable chance he fired straight at Bull after latching onto another clearance.

The home side continued to enjoy chances in the open first period and after Gary Jones had struck a powerful volley straight at Bull, Dale opened the scoring through Adam Rundle. The goal came thanks to Dagnall who pressured Charles into a poor pass, received the return from Jones and found Rundle on the edge of the box. The winger’s first time shot took a wicked deflection to take it away from Bull and into the corner of the net.

Aldershot made a bright to the second period but as in the first it was Dale with the first opportunity and Dagnall deserved a goal following a wonderful run from the half way line. Dale cleared a corner up to Dagnall and he beat his two markers to race through on Bull’s goal. The finish looked perfect as Dagnall clipped the ball over the on-coming keeper but it came back off the face of the crossbar.

The visitors finally began to show that they were capable of doing something in the Rochdale half but yet again, just Aldershot looked like they might create something, the golden chance came the way of the home side. Rundle produced a wonderful low ball into the six yard box and Dagnall contrived to put it over the cross bar from just a couple of yards out.

How Dagnall did not have his name on the score sheet was anybody’s guess. The woodwork denied the striker for a second time as he latched onto Thompson’s pass, drove at goal, again chose to chip his finish, and Bull save well to tip the ball onto the crossbar.

Dale were made to pay for their missed opportunities when their inability to keep clean sheets under very little pressure contrived against them again. Aldershot were level when Danny Hylton produced a fine back post cross for John Grant to nod at goal. Sam Russell produced an excellent save but was helpless to deny substitute Marvin Morgan a simple finish from the rebound.

Aldershot were looking a lot stronger but could have been a different tale for the home side had the referee pointed to the spot for what looked a clear, if soft, penalty, when Rhys Day appeared to trip Dale sub Will Buckley.

The looked as though the home side would continue to pay for their inability to put a game which should have been long since over to bed. Jones squandered another superb chance before finally Dale re-took the lead. Lee Thorpe got to the byline and cut the ball back for Jones, had made another dart into the box. Somehow Jones’ shot was blocked but it fell for Thompson to finish beyond Bull.

Dale were fortunate not to pay for not making their dominance count when Aldershot had a goal chalked off in the last minute by an eagle eyed linesman. The Shots found themselves with a man over on the left hand side and Scott Davies forced a fine save from Russell. Again the Dale keeper could do nothing as Grant tapped in but this time the linesman saved them. It must have been very tight.

In injury time Dale finally opened up a two goal lead and ended the game. Two Dale substitutes combined to get the third as Adam Le Fondre picked out a perfect pass for Buckley to latch onto. This time there was to be no mistake with the finish as Buckley clipped the ball over an on-rushing Bull. 

Attendance: 2,750.

Rochdale: Russell, Wiseman, Kennedy, Stanton (Holness 90), McArdle, Thompson, Toner, Jones, Rundle (Buckley 62), Thorpe, Dagnall (Le Fondre 77).
Subs not used: Keltie, Spencer.

Aldershot: Bull, Blackburn, Day, Charles, Soares, Chalmers (Morgan 56), Grant, Hylton, Donnelly (Davies 56), Hudson, Harding.
Subs not used: Mendes, Newman, Osborne.

Booked: Charles. 

Attempts (on target): Rochdale 13 (9) Aldershot 7 (4)
Free kicks: Rochdale 9 Aldershot 14
Offside: Rochdale 6 Aldershot 2
Corners: Rochdale 6 Aldershot 4

Referee: C Oliver.