Bournemouth 4 (Pitman 12, 67, 90 Feeney 25) Rochdale 0 – Full Time Report

Lee Thorpe gets in a tangle with Jason Pearce and Shwan Jalal.

20 More Image(s) In Gallery

Rochdale were comprehensively beaten by Bournemouth after a performance that was on a par with, or if not worse than, that shown in their last game away from home at Chesterfield.

Bournemouth gained a two goal lead through their first two efforts on goal as Brett Pitman’s shot deflected into the far corner and then Liam Feeney’s fine effort from 16 yards out followed it into the same corner.

The home side strolled comfortably through the second half and put a gloss on their first half strikes through two tidy finishes from Pitman, who sealed a hat-trick in the process.

Dale forced only one save from Shwan Jalal, when Adam Le Fondre’s curled attempt was turned around his post by the Bournemouth keeper.

After a quiet opening Bournemouth took the lead with the game’s first attempt. Dale looked to have the situation under control after Tom Kennedy stopped Liam Feeney in his tracks down the Bournemouth right. Adam Rundle picked up the pieces, but with his back to goal on the touchline he was outmuscled by Feeney. The winger cut the ball back for Brett Pitman, whose shot took a massive deflection, looping the ball up into the air and beyond Frank Fielding at the back post.

After a slow start to proceedings Dale set about reducing their arrears. A long range effort from Mark Jones did nothing to trouble Shwan Jalal but the Bournemouth backline had more to think about when Rundle cut down the left and fired a low ball into the box that between them Jalal and Ryan Garry cleared unconvincingly.

Another ball in from Rundle’s left boot caused problems as Lee Thorpe looked to nod home at the back post but the cross was just too big for the striker.

A goal out of the blue doubled Dale’s arrears. This time Feeney did the work all by himself as the dangerous looking winger beat Kennedy into the box and fired a delightful curled drive beyond the helpless Fielding.

Dale had it all to do with Bournemouth having scored from each of their first two attempts on goal and in Feeney they always had an outlet through which they could clear their lines and push for more goals.

Adam Le Fondre snatched at a close range volley at the other end and then Joe Thompson came close to bringing Dale back into proceedings from another back post cross from Rundle but Mark Molesley hooked the ball clear from under the young winger’s nose.

Dale continued to press towards the end of the half and Le Fondre found his range with a well struck left foot curler from the edge of the box that Jalal had to scramble around the post.

Keith Hill made a double change at half time, which reflected on how poorly his side had performed in the opening period. Tom Newey made his debut for Dale, replacing Mark Jones in midfield, while young hopeful Will Buckley came on in place of Rundle as Dale looked to reverse the wrongs of the first half.

The changes didn’t come off. The home side were more than happy to sit on their two goal lead, and as such the visitors could do nothing to threaten a comeback goal. The home side soaked up what little Rochdale had to offer and then scoring a match clinching third with one of few attacks of their own. It was all so simple for the home side, as Pitman gathered the ball twenty-five yards out, beat Simon Ramsden with consummate ease and rifled the ball convincingly beyond Fielding.

The home side played out the remaining half hour with equal conviction and Pitman even clinched his hat-trick in injury time as he made his way through a gaping hole in the Dale defensive before hitting another emphatic finish. 

Attendance: 5092.

Bournemouth: Jalal, Pearce, Pitman, Hollands, Molesley (Bradbury 88), Feeney (Igoe 80), Garry, Robinson, Fletcher (Goulding 85), Cooper, Wiggins.
Subs (not used): Guyett, Partington.

Rochdale: Fielding, Wiseman, Kennedy, Ramsden, McArdle, Rundle (Buckley 45), Toner, Jones (Newey 45), Thompson (Dagnall 59), Thorpe, Le Fondre.
Subs (not used): Madine, Dawson.

Attempts (on target): Bournemouth 8 (7) Rochdale 6 (1)
Free kicks: Bournemouth 14 Rochdale 21
Offside: Bournemouth 1 Rochdale 3
Corners: Bournemouth 1 Rochdale 1