Higginbotham winner in first friendly

Rochdale's summer signing, Adam Le Fondre

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Rossendale United 0 Rochdale 1 (Higginbotham)

Rochdale’s first pre-season run out ended in a narrow victory over Rossendale United thanks to a Kallum Higginbotham goal in the second half. The game played out as many pre-season friendlies do against lower league clubs, with the professionals dominating without ever over-exerting themselves.

On a pleasant evening at Dark Lane this was really a chance for the few hundred or so travelling fans to get a feel for how the squad is shaping up and get a first glimpse of new signings, whilst giving the players an early work out before what will doubtless be tougher friendlies against Oldham and Huddersfield.

Higginbotham was the most impressive of the new boys with a high work rate and nice touches around the box and his performance was capped with the winner midway through the second half.

The goal was all thanks to Adam Le Fondre’s persistence, a trait he was more than willing to display throughout the evening. He scampered onto a ball over the top and was clearly hauled down in the box as he cut inside but this being a friendly the referee was reluctant to give a penalty. Le Fondre got to his feet and chipped the ball over Bracey in the Rossendale goal and Higginbotham was on hand to make sure from two yards out.

Of the other pre-season signings James Spencer had very little to do in the Dale goal aside from competently catching an occasional Rossendale cross, Nathan D’Laryea was uncompromisingly solid at centre-half and Tom Kennedy was comfortable at left back and showed signs of the reputation that he likes to get forward.

These displays were however eclipsed somewhat by a skilful cameo from a virtual unknown trialist. When Keith Hill brought on a right winger at half time, with no name or number on the back of his shirt, it did not just have the fans scratching their heads as to who on earth it was, even the club officials didn’t have any ideas!

As the winger continued to impress it became clear that this writer was going to have find out who he was so that he could write about him! Fortunately two of the currently injured players, Glenn Murray and Nathan Stanton, were on hand to provide the name Jerome Watt, a young player recently released from Blackburn Rovers.

Watt provided some excellent crosses that nearly gave Dale a second goal and he nearly added to the score himself with a trio of chances. Dale’s best move of the game saw Simon Ramsden flight a ball onto the chest of John Doolan on the edge of the box, Watt raced onto the midfielder’s knockdown only to be denied by a superb last ditch tackle by Rossendale’s Ben Stanford.

Earlier Watt had drilled a far post volley across the face of goal and he should have done better than to blaze over after cutting in from the right wing and creating himself some space in the penalty area.

Other than these, chances in the match were hard to come by. Nice football was played by Dale but they often tried one pass or touch too many before getting any shots away. The one clear cut chance of the evening was missed somewhat surprisingly, and it must be said woefully, by Adam Le Fondre. The striker, whose signing from Stockport was made permanent earlier this month, beat the offside trap when he latched onto Ben Muirhead’s perfectly weighted pass but he failed to beat the keeper. Le Fondre looked to have sold Bracey with a drop of the shoulder but still managed to side-foot the ball wide.

Indeed, the target was not a regular feature in Dale’s shooting, aside from the goal it was only hit once; a mistimed Ben Muirhead attempt comfortably stopped by Bracey after good work by Adam Rundle in getting to the by-line and cutting the ball back.

The fitness of Rundle will be the only major worry to emerge from the match for Keith Hill after he was forced to substitute the left winger in the first half after aggravating a rib injury that he had picked up in training during the pre-season training camp in Spain.

One thing missing from this pre-season friendly was a plethora of substitutes with eight players playing the full ninety minutes for Dale. The likes of Chris Dagnall, Gary Jones and David Perkins were all unused, making them likely starters for the game at Southport on Saturday.

Man-of-the-Match - Adam Le Fondre - He will be the first to admit his first half miss was a shocker but he was a constant thorn in Rossendale defenders' sides. His skill and persistence enabled the goal and his determination was no more evident than when he scrapped and kept hold of the ball for a full thirty seconds midway through the second half.

Attendance: 443

Rossendale: Bracey, Willis, Ingham, Booth, Blackley, Whelan, Foy, Morley, Turner, Eastwood, Cook. Subs: Lomax, Stanford, Taylor, Callan, Heywood, Purcxell.

Rochdale: Spencer, Ramsden, Kennedy, McArdle, D’Laryea, Muirhead (Watt), Doolan, Crooks, Rundle (Prendergast), Higginbotham (W. Buckley), Le Fondre.

Attempts (on target): Rossendale 2 (0) Rochdale 9 (1)
Freekicks: Rossendale 12 Rochdale 11
Offside: Rossendale 2 Rochdale 5
Corners: Rossendale 1 Rochdale 7

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