Special night at Spotland as Stoke sent out of cup

Rochdale 2 (Perkins 83, Prendergast 101)
Stoke City 2 (Shawcross 4, Cresswell 120) AET – Rochdale win 4-2 on penalties

Richard Cresswell broke Dale hearts by scoring during stoppage time in extra time to send the Carling Cup First Round tie to penalties, denying the home side a deserved win without the need of the dreaded spot kicks. Rochdale’s dream was not to be denied however, as they won the shootout 4-2 to go through to the second round on a memorable night at Spotland.

For all Dale’s efforts in getting a foothold in the game following an early setback and then going that step further to pile pressure on their Championship opponents it looked as if they were set for a night of misfortune and an early cup exit.

With the home crowd becoming increasingly appreciative of Dale’s endeavours so all those watching, and especially those playing in black and white, gained in the belief that they could do more than bow out bravely to higher league opponents.

The stage then was set, all Dale needed was the goal to prove it. It was the perfect time for David Perkins to score his first goal for the club and he did it in some style. If he combines his all round superb midfield play with more goals like this it will not be long before clubs like Stoke come knocking at the Dale doors, cash in hand; Dale will continue to hope that no-one is taking any notice, but that hope wears thin with each Perkins performance.

After falling behind to Ryan Shawcross’ fourth minute goal, a free header from a free kick after losing marker Glenn Murray all too easily, Dale had huffed and puffed for seventy-five minutes but Stoke had a defensive pedigree that enabled their house to stand firm. That was until Perkins took charge and scored a goal that was just too good for them.

Advancing towards goal with intent, the ex-Morecambe man knocked the ball into Murray who flicked a delightful first time return for Perkins to run onto and the midfielder made no mistake with the finish, smashing the ball into the roof of the net, giving Russell Hoult no chance in the Stoke goal.

The warning signs had been there for the visitors who had not pushed on since their impressive opening. In the first half confidence had been low on Dale’s part thanks to a three-nil stuffing and an early goal against but that confidence grew in the second half as Dale began to realise that they were a match for their opponents.

Dale might have blown their chance when Adam Rundle volleyed against the upright from Murray’s superb ball across the box but their persistence in continuing to knock at Stoke’s door meant that sooner or later they would be let in once more and this time Perkins made no mistake.

So to extra time and Dale had their tails up and sensed fear in their opponents.

Rory Prendergast has found first team football hard to come by since Adam Rundle’s rise to claim the left wing position as his own last season, but he was the hero for Dale when he slotted a Ben Muirhead cross back across goal and into the far corner of the net to give Dale the lead in the first half of extra time.

Not only was his goal superbly taken, Prendergast put in an excellent shift and more than reminded his manager that he is ready and waiting for first team action. Just one of many selection headaches that Keith Hill has going into Saturday’s game with Chester, his squad is becoming injury free to the extent that there are players of considerable ability ready to deputise in almost all positions.

As is the way when the lower leaguers take the lead against a side such as Stoke it is customary that the leaders have to partake in some form of hanging on and this game proved no exception.

Stoke had been a threat throughout from set-pieces, in fact, Stoke’s only real threat throughout had been from set-pieces on what was, it has to be said, a sub-par display from the Championship side who made a running start to their season with an excellent win at Cardiff on the opening day. However, their ownership of four or five players who were all taller than Dale’s tallest man meant that goals were always a possibility and dictated that any corner or free-kick conceded by the Dale defence had the home crowd holding its collective breath.

Prendergast turned hero at both ends when he cleared Shawcross’ downward header off the line after a Stoke corner and hearts were in mouths once more when the ball bounced around in the Dale box during the second half of extra time, seemingly just waiting for a Stoke boot to send it in the right direction. That boot never came, Dale cleared their lines and the fourth official showed the home fans that they would only have to sit on the edge of their seats for a further three minutes.

With a minute of that time played Cresswell picked up the ball in the left hand channel, cut inside Simon Ramsden and looked to beat Nathan D’Laryea inside the Dale box. The defender got some kind of a foot in but the ball bounced into Cresswell and ended up in the bottom corner of the goal. Rochdale had proved once more, through little fault of their own, that doing things the easy way is simply not their style.

They do like to put the home fans through the ringer at Spotland so penalties seemed like the essential final ingredient for achieving that to full extent. The Dale players did everything to make it look like a last minute equaliser had done nothing to dent their confidence and that belief was given credence when Tom Kennedy calmly sent the keeper the wrong way with his spot kick and then James Spencer turned Cresswell’s effort away.

Parity was restored however, when Le Fondre’s penalty was well saved by Hoult and Anthony Pulis gave Spencer no chance with a calm whack high into the centre of the goal. The keepers were out of the equation for the next four penalties but the goal also didn’t play a factor in the fourth when Carl Dickinson’s effort hit the fans behind the goal. As calm as anyone in the ground, Gary Jones stepped up to slam home the winning penalty.

Cue the regulation scenes of players running from the centre circle to join Jones in celebration whilst the fans go wild.

A mighty way to start a season following Saturday’s complete non-starter at Peterborough; Rochdale will be in the hat with some of the Premiership big guns for the second round draw.

Read fans' thoughts on this game in 'View From The Stands'

Man-of-the-match- Tom Kennedy - After emerging as the best of a bad bunch from the Peterborough game, Kennedy was the best of a much improved bunch here. His defensive display was sound but the real quality came when he was on the ball, showing a distinct calmness in possession and a keenness to create things on the left hand side, indeed many of Dale’s attacking creations came courtesy of Kennedy’s pin-point left foot.

Attendance: 2369

Rochdale: Spencer, Ramsden, Kennedy, D’Laryea, McArdle, Jones, Perkins, Muirhead, Rundle (Prendergast 76), Dagnall (Le Fondre 64), Murray.
Subs not used: Rigby, Crooks, Thompson.

Booked: D’Laryea, Perkins.

Stoke: Hoult, Wright, Dickinson, Shawcross, Higginbotham (Wilkinson 46), Lawrence, Eustace, Pulis, Delap (Sweeney 54), Parkin (Cresswell 59), Sidibe.
Subs not used: Buxton, Simonsen.

Booked: Dickinson, Shawcross, Lawrence, Eustace, Cresswell.

Penalties:
Rochdale: Kennedy: Score, Le Fondre: Saved, Prendergast: Score, Muirhead: Score, Jones: Score.

Stoke: Cresswell: Saved, Pulis: Score, Lawrence: Score, Dickinson: Miss.

Attempts (on target): Rochdale 15 (6) Stoke 13 (5)
Freekicks: Rochdale 21 Stoke 18
Offside: Rochdale 4 Stoke 5
Corners: Rochdale 13 Stoke 9

Referee: M Haywood.