Dale Copp for it in Cup
Date published: 23 August 2006
The home dugout at Doncaster's Earth Stadium
Rochdale were knocked out of the Carling Cup at the first hurdle after defeat at the Earth Stadium against Doncaster Rovers. Rochdale’s fifth defeat in as many games did bring with it certain positives, in that they coped admirably with Rovers’ array of attacking options for the majority and scored their first two goals of the season.
An upset even looked to be on the cards at half time with Dale leading through their first goal in over four hundred minutes of football but Doncaster showed what they were capable of just after the break and hit a purple patch, scoring three goals in twelve minutes thanks to half time substitute James Coppinger, who took the game by the scruff of the neck in scoring one and setting up two of his sides goals.
Rochdale settled into the game quickly against their higher class opponents and they began playing some of their best football of the season with Lee Crooks the focal point of a five man midfield. Crooks dictated Rochdale’s passing, always finding his man and enabling Dale to build from the midfield, something which has been distinctly lacking so far this term.
Crooks assisted two early half-chances for Dale but his through balls, which had the Doncaster defence beaten, just evaded Adam Rundle and then Chris Dagnall and they were gathered by home keeper Alan Blayney.
The home side made a nervous and somewhat lethargic start in front of their own supporters who soon began to get restless when their side made increasingly hard work of breaking down the visitors, giving the ball away cheaply on numerous occasions.
Doncaster did, however, manufacture the first clear cut chance of the evening and it took a remarkable save from Matthew Gilks to keep the scores level. Doncaster won a corner and when Jason Price made a clean header from six yards out it looked to be a certain goal only for Gilks to somehow palm the ball away with his right hand and then gather in the loose ball under pressure from Lewis Guy.
The home side continued to labour but they were causing problems from set pieces and Gilks had to remain on full alert. First he punched away a corner under pressure and then did well to keep his eye on a superb low free kick and gather the ball safely.
Doncaster were beginning to get on top in terms of chances but they certainly were not having things all there own way as Dale created a late first half opportunity and then opened the scoring. Adam Rundle brought down Goodall’s long ball with a superb touch and he fed Doolan, who shot from long range, forcing the keeper to tip round the post.
A minute later and Dale were in the lead as Rundle beat Blayney direct from an inswinging corner. There was a certain inevitability that Dale’s first goal after 405 minutes of football would carry an element of fortune but that did not concern Rundle as he wheeled away to celebrate in front of the visiting supporters behind the goal.
The scene was set for Coppinger to enter the fray at the interval, at the expense of the ineffective Jason Price. The midfield dynamo was soon into his stride, playing the ball through for McCammon to flash a cross come shot across the goal.
The home side levelled from their next attack. Quick thinking and a good cross by Coppinger enabled the goal but Steve Parkin was furious with his defence for switching off and being caught flat footed as Coppinger found McCammon to side foot home from a quickly taken free kick.
Within a minute the tie was turned on its head as Coppinger made it two for Rovers after he burst through from midfield. Stanton’s poor tackle did little to stop Coppinger and he fired past Gilks from just inside the area.
Dale were shell shocked as the home side continued to run riot; Dale’s excellent work in the first half had been so quickly undone and the home side were not about to stop there as they continued to pepper the visitor’s goal.
McCammon missed a sitter when he scuffed a six yard shot over the bar after good work by Guy down the left and then Jon Boardman gave the home attack some help that it did not need by giving the ball straight to Thornton who found Guy, only for the midfielder to hit a tame shot at Gilks.
The home side continued to surge forward but the next chance belonged to Dale. Good build up play enabled John Doolan to find midfield partner Lee Crooks and from fully thirty-five yards out the former Notts County man hit a firm drive beyond Blayney but inches past the post.
No sooner had Dale threatened to get back into the tie, Rovers looked to have sealed it with their third goal. Stanton did well to block Guy’s shot but then undid his hard work as his clearance fell to Coppinger, who picked out McCammon once more to enable the big centre forward to side foot his second. Coppinger had opened the Dale flood gates which had looked mostly solid in the first half.
Steve Parkin hoped one of his own substitutes would have the same effect on the game as the rampant Coppinger and to some extent that proved to be the case with Clive Moyo-Modise’s twenty minute outing in place of the yet again disappointing Iyseden Christie.
The young substitute turned his man and fed the ball to Cooksey, who laid the ball off to Goodall on the left wing overlap, Dale having switched to a 4-4-2 formation, and his excellent cross just evaded Modise, but eventually found Dagnall, only for him to blaze his shot over at the far post.
Dale then scored their second and were right back in the tie and it was all thanks to the hard work of the young substitute. He chased down what looked to be a lost cause as the ball ran through to Blayney but he pressured the keeper into kicking the ball straight at him and then the keeper ran back to his goal as the ball looped to the feet of the attacker. Modise’s first shot was blocked but he got a second chance and his next attempt was goal bound and Jon Doolan made sure of the goal from close range; the midfielder not missing out on an opportunity to score against his former club.
Modise was involved once more as Dale searched for the equaliser. He picked up the ball thirty yards out after it was needlessly given away and he ran at the heart of the Rovers’ defence and beat three men but his shot could not match the run as he hit a tame effort at Blayney. It marked the end of Dale’s chances but Moyo-Modise had added a spark to the Dale attack that had been so painfully lacking in their opening four games. It may not be long before the youngster is allowed to show his pace and skill from the start.
By and large Dale had the better of proceedings and they had finally broken their goalscoring duck. However, a defensive shut down during Doncaster’s best spell in the game cost them the tie. Coppinger alone was the reason Doncaster are in the second round but Steve Parkin was bitterly frustrated with his players’ defensive efforts after warning them that they would be at their most vulnerable as soon as the second half whistle blew.
“I’m furious at the goals we gave away. We worked on a system that we thought would frustrate them. We felt that we would frustrate them enough to get in front and that’s exactly what we did. I said at half time that the first ten minutes of the second half we need to be at our brightest and we switched off to the extent that they did not need to work for the goals. The goals were very disappointing and annoying”
However, if Dale can draw from their first half performance, in which they coped admirably with their higher class opponents and played their best football of the season so far, then the team’s first points in the league campaign may not be too far around the corner. Their next chance to better their League form comes away at Accrington Stanley on Saturday.
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