Radcliffe Borough 0 Rochdale 1

Photo: Jon Coluccio

Goalscorer Gomez.

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Rochdale recorded victory in their first friendly of the season, a non-descript affair at Radcliffe Borough.

Dale fielded two trialists during the first half, Nathan Wolfe and Gomez, and it was the latter, a French striker, who scored the only goal of the game.

Gomez turned home a simple chance after latching onto Adam Le Fondre's knock down eight yards out.

Dale had chances to extend their lead in the second half against the Unibond Division One side but a fine display from former Rochdale goalkeeper Phil Priestley kept Dale's advantage to a minimum.

Priestley's finest moment came after Kallum Higginbotham had been felled in the box when clean through on goal. Higginbotham stepped up to take a poor penalty kick, saved by the legs of Priestley, and the keeper was up quickly to make a wonder save from Adam Rundle's attempt on the rebound.

The game provided a satisfactory workout for almost everyone in the Dale squad, aside from Ciaran Toner and Jon Shaw, who are suffering minor injuries, while the non-appearance of Clark Keltie suggests that he may have played his last game in a Rochdale shirt.

There will be far more rigorous challenges ahead in pre-season, not least on Saturday when Everton visit Spotland, but Keith Hill was able to get a look at all bar one of his available players; Matt Edwards playing the full game in goal, leaving the fans waiting for a first look at Kenny Arthur. It was difficult to asses Edwards against such opposition but all that he had to do was done calmly and convincingly.

By far the most worrying happening on the night came midway through the first half when Rory McArdle was forced off the field with a suspected dislocated shoulder that could keep him out of the season's opener at Port Vale. Dale do have cover at centre-half in the form of Marcus Holness but he too was brought off in the second half with a minor niggle.

Dale fielded two different sides in either half and, so determined was Hill to stick to this game plan, that Dale played for around twenty-five minutes with ten men in the first half following McArdle's injury. In the first half Hill fielded a perceived weaker side, with McArdle, Tom Kennedy, Joe Thompson and Adam Le Fondre the only first team regulars. Assistant boss Dave Flitcroft played the full half, and came back on to replace Holness in the second half, while Hill got a look at trialists Wolfe and Gomez and youngsters Josh Brrizell and Callum Byrne. Meanwhile, former Radcliffe defender Craig Dawson played the full ninety minutes and gave a commanding performance.

The second half side was much more recognisable, while supporters also got a first look at big-name summer signing Jason Kennedy, who had a tidy but quiet start to his Dale career.

All of the early chances came the way of the visitors and to Gomez, who put a header inches wide of the near post and proceeded to put two more on target, as the Frenchman made a bright and lively start before tiring towards the end of the half.

Gomez gave Dale the lead on the half hour while Radcliffe came closest to a goal minutes later when a header cannoned back of the crossbar.

As expected Dale's stronger looking second half side made a bright start to the second half and carved out more regular openings. Higginbotham should have doubled Dale's lead from the spot, while Rundle's volley, created via a fine exchange between Higginbotham and Will Buckley, was somehow turned off the line.

Rundle forced another fine save from Priestley late on, the keeper parrying the well struck shot. Keith Hill might have been slightly worried that Dale could not return a more convincing goal return but of course the first pre-season fixture is always about easing the players back into regular football than it is the result.

Rochdale: Edwards, Brazil (Wiseman), Kennedy (Holness (Flitcroft)), McArdle (Stanton), Dawson, Thompson (Buckley), Flitcroft (Jones), Byrne (Kennedy), Wolfe (Rundle), Le Fondre (Higginbotham), Gomez (Dagnall).