RDSFL Under 21 team cruise past Manchester Publicity

Lee Leonard wins a header

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The end of October with the trees beginning to take on glorious autumnal colours and starting to shed their leaves, a time usually of a nip in the air as the temperature dips and the ground begins to firm up. Not the scenario at Springfield Park on Sunday (29 October) as Rochdale amp; District Sunday Football League Under 21s took on Manchester Publicity League Under 21s on pitch made heavy by the previous week's incessant rain but with hardly a cloud in the sky and glorious sunshine.

Rochdale manager Phil Crowther opted for a wingback formation that was to prove inspired as the wing backs literally took the Manchester defence apart and had the game sewn up in the first half before Manchester knew what had hit them.

It took less than ten minutes for Rochdale to carve open the Manchester defence for the opening goal, Lee Bradley playing an inch perfect ball that scythed through the Manchester defence into the path of wing back Tim Astley whose well placed low drive left Mike Small in the Manchester net no chance.

The next five minutes was constant Rochdale pressure and it paid off when a good shot by Chris Edmonds was well blocked by Wilson only to rebound straight to Scott Highton who, despite a sea of bodies between him and the goal, managed to find a clean path through to score low into the far corner.

Rochdale kept up the pressure as they went looking for a third that would surely kill the game off even at this early stage. With the wing backs so advanced they were more like orthodox wingers than backs, the Rochdale midfield was completely dominant, with Lewis Rowland the pick of the pack, winning tackles and dictating play as he ran with the ball and spread it around at will. Even when play broke down, Rochdale was always first to the second ball.

The Rochdale front line also looked impressive, with Scott Highton proving particularly difficult for the Manchester defence to pick up as he intelligently switched from one side of the pitch to the other and back again as he found space and made space. He was no slouch with the ball at his feet either going on one run that saw him dribble past three Manchester defenders followed by a one-two with Chris Edmonds before laying the ball off on the edge of the penalty box for wing back Astley to unleash another stinging drive, this time just wide of the mark.

With just under half an hour played, Rochdale suffered a blow when an injury to Lee Bradley forced his substitution, Mike Kearney coming on to take his place. Rochdale took it in their stride and Kearney went on to show off his excellent skills, lacking only in the final ball.

Manchester had very little of the ball and when they did get a sniff, offered so little up front that the Rochdale defence must have thought they were out in the park for a Sunday morning stroll. The only real chance Manchester had in the first half hour coming from a free kick well outside the Rochdale penalty box that Phil Jones hit well but straight at James Roche in the Rochdale goal.

It had only been a matter of time before Rochdale would add to their two goal lead such was their superiority, but when the third came it was a cruel blow to Manchester coming as it did from a cross by Danny Armitage that missed his intended target of Rochdale heads on the six yard line and instead floated over a despairing Small in the Manchester goal.

With minutes left to half-time Rochdale had the game well and truly sewn up as they added a fourth, Scott Highton getting the goal his hard work deserved as he found himself one-on-one with Small and waited for the keeper to commit himself before lifting the ball superbly over the advancing Small to finish with great aplomb into the far corner.

Manchester manager James Duffy knew drastic action had to be taken at the half-time interval if his team were not to return to Manchester on the end of a humiliating cricket score, and drastic action he took as he fielded all three substitutes in an attempt to bolster the Manchester midfield and adjust their tactics to cope with Rochdale's rampant wing backs. And what a difference it made, suddenly Manchester looked like a football team and they started to get hold of the ball, retain possession and venture into the Rochdale half. To be fair, Rochdale with a four goal lead sat back and allowed Manchester to come at them, all the same, Manchester looked a different proposition to the first half with the excellent Ali Mahdi in the thick of everything for them.

With an hour gone and no clear cut chances carved by either side Rochdale manager Crowther decided to change things and took off Edmonds and replaced him with James Greenhalgh.

A little niggle started to creep into the game as the referee allowed one or two late tackles, and one outrageous high kick by Manchester's Tomlin to go unpunished, and Manchester's Wilson was very fortunate not to be ordered from the field when mimicking a rutting stag by shoving his forehead into the face of Rochdale's Lee Bradley after Bradley's robust but fair tackle.

The game had overall been played in a fair if very competitive spirit and, despite the referees lack of action, the players deserve credit for not allowing the niggle to continue and letting the football to once again start to do their talking.

Manchester at this stage were just shading what had become a midfield battle and enjoying by far their best period of the game. It came as a real blow then when against the run of play Rochdale added a fifth goal; substitute Kearney set off on another of his runs with the ball, showing off all his array of skill and tricks, teasing the Manchester defenders as he flicked and dragged the ball, swerved his shoulders and eased past them as they stood rooted to the spot, and for once the frustration of seeing Kearney dance around players only to fail to deliver with the final ball was abated when he drilled an unstoppable shot past Small in the Manchester goal.

With ten minutes to play Manchester heads understandably dropped and they played out the remainder of the game giving the distinct impression that they couldn't wait for the whistle to go and the game to end. Rochdale could, and perhaps should, have taken advantage of this demoralisation, but that would be picking nits with an excellent team performance and a thoroughly well deserved progression to the next round of the inter-league cup.

Talking to Rochdale Online after the game Manchester manager James Duffy conceded the game was won in the first half but said he was "proud of the way the team battled in the second half."

The final word went to delighted Rochdale manager Phil Crowther who could not hide his satisfaction at a job well done, he said: "The formation was the winning formula, playing wing backs caused them problems they had no idea how to cope with and by the time they got to grips with it the game was already over."