Torquay 5 (Rendell 29, Benyon 31, 35, Wroe 62 pen, Carayol) Rochdale 0

Photo: Jon Coluccio

Torquay v Rochdale - 10 April 2010

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Rochdale's promotion party was well and truly stopped in its tracks as Torquay hit five past the league leaders. The home side struck three goals in six first half minutes as Scott Rendell finished well and then Elliot Benyon hit a quickfire brace. A debatable penalty decision ended all hope of a second half revival and Mustapha Carayol put the icing on the cake with a well taken goal.

The visitors started brightly and Scott Bevan was forced into an unconvincing save early on as Chris Dagnall was allowed time to control on the edge of the box and hit a low drive across goal. Bevan could only palm the ball out and fortunately a defender was on hand to hack clear. Minutes later and Bevan was a bystander as Chris O'Grady set the ball up for Dagnall and the striker rolled a left foot shot just past the post.

Dale made all of the early running in terms of shots on goal and Joe Thompson came within a foot of scoring a wonder goal as he brought down Rory McArdle's long ball and sought to catch Bevan out with an early shot, lobbing the ball just over the top.

Slowly Torquay came into proceedings and the warning signs of an opening goal were there as Chris Zebroski's cross was nodded goalwards by Scott Rendell. Frank Fielding got across to make a fine save.

Within ten minutes the visitor's defensive wheels had fallen off and Torquay found themselves three goals to the good. They went ahead when Zebroski's weak shot deflected off Nathan Stanton and fell for Rendell to fire across Fielding and in. The lead was doubled when Elliott Benyon rose salmon-like above Stanton and expertly nodded home. The score had gone from nil to three when Benyon pounced on a header from a corner and turned the ball in from six yards out.

Almost 1500 Rochdale fans were on the south coast to see their side potentially make history and gain promotion but the first half brought them very little to cheer. The visitors came close to finding a lifeline in the dying minutes of the half when O'Grady's drive was palmed out by Bevan to Jason Kennedy, who drilled a shot into the face of Mark Ellis.

Keith Hill introduced Kallum Higginbotham and Craig Dawson at the interval and Dale switched to 4-4-2. They sought an early goal and Tom Kennedy's flew just wide, but they came close to gifting Torquay a fourth as Dawson and McArdle suffered a breakdown in communication and Dawson's pass was seized by Mustapha Carayol, who fired wide when he should have done better.

The visitors were mostly camped in the Torquay half for the opening twenty minutes but they could not create anything against a resolute backline. Against the run of play the home side sealed the match with a fourth. Dale failed to deal with a high ball and Fielding raced out of goal to challenge Benyon. The keeper appeared to win the ball with his wholehearted challenge but Benyon went to ground and the referee gave a penalty. Suspicions that the referee knew he had made an error were aroused when he only booked the keeper. If he thought it was a penalty surely the red card should have followed. Nicky Wroe stepped up and dispatched the spot kick.

The goal signaled the end of any aspirations Dale might have had of getting back into the fixture and from then it seemed a case of how many Torquay could rack up to dent Dale's goal difference column. Carayol gave them a fifth as he danced all too easily into the box and finished low across Fielding.

Torquay: Bevan (Poke 62), Nicholson, Ellis, Robertson, Mansell, Benyon (O'Kane 85), Rendell, Wroe, Carayol (Stevens 83), Zebroski, Branston.
Subs (not used): Thompson, Smith, Charnock, Rowe-Turner.

Rochdale: Fielding, Wiseman (Dawson 45), T. Kennedy (Holness 63), Stanton, McArdle, Toner (Higginbotham 45), J. Kennedy, Jones, Thompson, O'Grady, Dagnall.
Subs (not used): Arthur, Obadeyi, Taylor, Flynn.

Attempts (on target): Torquay 14 (8) Rochdale 9 (4)
Free kicks: Torquay 10 Rochdale 9
Offside: Torquay 0 Rochdale 0
Corners: Torquay 3 Rochdale 4

Referee: G. Sutton.