Rochdale 2 (Rundle 5, Le Fondre 12) Grimsby 0 - Full Time Report

Photo: Jon Coluccio

Rundle wheels away to celebrate his goal.

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Rochdale made the ideal start against Grimsby and it was enough to claim the three points against the League Two strugglers.

Adam Rundle’s deflected strike and a one-on-one finish from Adam Le Fondre inside the first 12 minutes were enough for Dale claim the points. The remainder of the game was something of a none event but that mattered little as Dale shifted up into the League Two automatic promotion spots.

As early as the first minute Dale announced their intentions and could have had a penalty when Nathan Jarman appeared to trip Clark Keltie in the box but the referee waved away the protests.

Dale were out of the blocks like a train, carving the Grimsby defence open at will and the first goal had an air of inevitability about it. The Dale wide men Nicky Adams and Rundle enjoyed acres of space in the early exchanges and Dale were ahead when the former fed the latter inside and Rundle found space on the edge of the box to hit a low shot that was deflected helplessly beyond Wayne Henderson.

The home side continued to exploit the space and they doubled their lead when Rundle unleashed Le Fondre to go completely in the clear. The striker looked to be a way offside and Grimsby boss Mike Newell complained long and hard to the linesman and fourth official, while Le Fondre was busy slotting the ball comfortably beyond the Grimsby keeper.

Grimsby were shell shocked by the early setbacks and the half was drawing to a close before they were able to show anything in front of the Dale goal. When they did it brought the save of the half from Frank Fielding. Ex-Dale man Jamie Clarke got the better of two men to get into the box and he clipped the ball back for Adrian Forbes. Forbes did not do a lot wrong with the shot and took a superb stop from the Blackburn loan goalkeeper to turn it onto the crossbar and out for a corner.

Dale began the second half as they had the first and came close to match clenching third when Lee Thorpe flicked an Adams cross to the back post and Le Fondre sought his second with a looping header that Henderson had to turn over.

Large parts of the second half were played in the Dale half and the introduction of Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro gave Grimsby some added impetus up front but even though Dale let their foot off the gas, the visitors never really troubled Fielding.

The home side would always be capable of capturing a third on the break and substitute Joe Thompson twice came close with his first touches of the game. The young winger strode onto the Le Fondre’s pass and fired just over. Minutes later he directed a back post header over the top on the stretch.

Grimsby were never out of it while Dale had only two and they threatened when Forbes found space at the back post to shoot. Tom Kennedy produced an excellent block to deny the Grimsby striker and that was the last real chance of note for the visitors as Dale comfortably got back to winning ways at Spotland.

Rundle and Chris Dagnall had late opportunities to add a third but by then it was job done as far as the home side were concerned. 

Attendance: 3,076

Rochdale: Fielding, Wiseman, Kennedy, Ramsden, Stanton, Keltie, Toner, Adams (Thompson 64), Rundle, Le Fondre, Thorpe.
Subs (not used): Dagnall, McArdle, McEvilly, Buckley.

Booked: Stanton.

Grimsby: Henderson, Clarke, Newey, Bennett, Atkinson, Kalala, Sinclair (Boshell 45), Hegarty, Jarman, Proudlock (Akpa Akpro 61), Forbes.
Subs (not used): Heywood, Montgomery, Elliott.

Booked: Clarke, Boshell, Henderson.