Watt released by Dale

Jerome Watt has been released by Rochdale

Rochdale football club have released Jerome Watt, the triallist winger who became a short-term signing at the start of the season. Keith Hill has cover players available on both wings so it was felt that Watt was surplus to requirements. The 22 year-old former England under-19 player impressed during Rochdale's pre-season friendly games but has not appeared for the first team since the season began.

Watt was always going to find it difficult to break into the side with Ben Muirhead and Adam Rundle being the preferred first choice wingers, whilst Rory Prendergast has, perhaps unexpectedly, made an impressive start to the season, scoring in Dale's victory of Stoke City in the Carling Cup and playing an influential role when coming off the substitutes bench to help Dale to their first win of the season against M K Dons.

Watt came on as a substitute in Dale's first pre-season friendly at Rossendale United. Fans and reporters alike had no idea who the virtual unknown triallist was but the name Jerome Watt emerged following what was an impressive display by the winger. He started Dale's next friendly, away at Southport and produced another decent display with some good crosses that the strikers failed to prey on in Dale's two-nil defeat. Another substitute appearance followed in Rochdale's 3-0 demolition of Huddersfield and then another start as a young Dale squad faced Droylsden in Dale's penultimate friendly before a final substitute appearance against Northwich.

Watt took up a place on the substitutes' bench for Dale's season opener at Peterborough but Keith Hill did not utilise the services of the winger and that was the last the Dale fans saw of him.