Rochdale 3 (Le Fondre 56, 73, 105) Barnet 2 (O’Flynn 10, Adomah 19) – Full Time Report

Photo: Jon Coluccio

Michael Townsend climbs above Jon Shaw.

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Rochdale came from two goals down to win a thrilling FA Cup replay at Spotland. A tie away at Forest Green is the prize for Dale’s remarkable comeback, which came courtesy of an Adam Le Fondre hat-trick.

Barnet deservedly led at the break thanks to two defensive mistakes from Dale. The first came as the backline allowed a long ball over the top to bounce through for John O’Flynn to score and then Albert Adomah gladly received Gary Jones’ poor back pass to round the keeper and score.

Nothing could have prepared the Spotland crowd for the second half, in which Dale laid siege to the Barnet back line and drew level thanks to two expert finishes from Le Fondre. Into extra time, and Dale snatched it in the opening period thanks to Le Fondre’s expert chip. Win? It was never in doubt!

“I enjoyed every aspect of the game,” said Dale boss Keith Hill. “It’s just unfortunate that we made the mistakes that we did, which aided Barnet’s game plan and we had to change things at half time but we changed things knowing that we could definitely change the game around. You react to the mistakes that have been made but really I didn’t think there was too much wrong performance-wise.

“We went more direct and raised the tempo playing with the Lee Thorpe and Jon Shaw up front with Adam Le Fondre and Will Buckley given a free role so we did play a bit more direct. We played some good football and to be honest I think we deserved to get on level terms and with the players that we have got and the fitness levels that we have got I fully expected us to win it in extra time and we did.”

Keith Hill made wholesale changes to his attacking options from those which drew with Macclesfield at the weekend with five different players coming into the starting line-up.

Clark Keltie, Will Buckley, Jon Shaw and Adam Le Fondre came in with Mark Jones, who was awarded his home debut.

A bright opening from Dale brought them the first chance as Gary Jones found space in the middle of the park to spread the play to Will Buckley, who broke at pace and cut inside to rifle a shot that was deflected over the top.

Barnet’s first effort brought them the lead as a whack upfield from Max Porter caught the Dale defence flat and as soon as the ball evaded Rory McArdle, John O’Flynn was in on goal. The striker took the ball wide but was able to finish low beyond Sam Russell and the ball trickled into the far corner.

The open nature of the game continued and Jon Shaw, on his return to first team action, was the first to test Lee Harrison in the Barnet goal with a well struck volley from the edge of the box that the Barnet keeper did well to palm out.

On twenty minutes Dale shot themselves in the foot and left themselves with a mountain to climb as Gary Jones, not knowing that Albert Adomah was making his way back from an offside position, made a back pass that the Barnet man gleefully accepted and rounded Russell to score.

With plenty of time left to play Dale were never out of it before half time and they probed for a crucial goal before the break. Buckley came close as he skipped gainfully inside from the left wing, ghosting past men before firing narrowly wide of the upright. But the goal never came and Dale would have it all to do in the second half.

The home side went about the challenge in the right way. Within minutes of the re-start they had the crowd back behind them as Clark Keltie rifled a volley inches over the cross bar and they won a couple of corners from which to trouble the Bees defence.

From a third corner they were almost back in it as McArdle rose to nod at goal, only for Michael Townsend to head it off the line. Minutes later Dale’s relentless pressure told. Adam Le Fondre brought them back into it as he pounced on Tom Kennedy’s wonderful low cross.

It was all Dale, as Le Fondre, given a new lease of life by his goal, found Kennedy on the left of the Barnet box who stung the hands of Harrison with a rasping drive. The ball looped across goal to Thorpe on the back post but he could not nod it in.

The home side gave everything for the equaliser. Le Fondre was next to chance his arm with a well struck shot from the edge of the box that hit Gary Jones and went wide. The two combined to much better effect when Dale found the leveller. They tore through the Barnet backline, Jones finding Le Fondre, who produced a deadly finish beyond Harrison.

The home side were rampant and Le Fondre was after his hat trick any chance he could get. He found Harrison in superb form as he looked for his and Dale’s third with a curler from the edge of the box, the keeper palming clear at full stretch.

Barnet perhaps had the better of things once Dale had their leveller but there were no real chances for either side until the death when Le Fondre had two more bites of the cherry and again Harrison kept Barnet in the cup with two more superb reaction stops.

For Dale had thrown at Barnet, Harrison had done superbly to take the tie to extra time in one of the most open second half encounters you are ever likely to see with both sides having abandoned their midfields in search of the win.

The game finally managed to slow down in extra time and one of few chances saw Dale take the lead as Le Fondre, who minutes earlier had indicated to his manager that he had to come off after picking up a knock, produced a delightful chip over Lee Harrison, although an argument over the goal emerged after Joe Thompson tried to turn it on the line. There could be no complaints when it was given to Le Fondre, who limped straight over before the re-start.

The home side as the more likely to extend their advantage in the second period as Barnet tired. Buckley struck the foot of the post with a low show after making another burst into the box and from the rebound Harrison saved superbly to keep the young Dale winger out. 

Attendance: 2339

Rochdale: Russell, Wiseman, Kennedy, Stanton, McArdle, Buckley, G. Jones, Keltie, M.Jones (Thorpe 45), Shaw (Thompson 69), Le Fondre (Rundle 105).
Subs (not used): Holness, Spencer, Ramsden.

Booked: McArdle

Barnet: Harrison, Gillet, Yakubu, Porter, Leary, Medley, O’Flynn (Carew 99), Deverdics, Bishop, Adomah, Townsend.
Subs (not used): Kadoch, Birchall, Nicolau, Burge, DeMaghales, Charles.

Booked: Deverdics, Bishop, Townsend. 

Attempts (on target): Rochdale 29 (12) Barnet 10 (4)
Free kicks: Rochdale 26 Barnet 15
Offside: Rochdale 5 Barnet 3
Corners: Rochdale 15 Barnet 8

Referee: C Webster