South Coast Club 0 - 2 Rochdale

No photos due to censorship by the South Coast Club

Rochdale recorded a historic victory over one of the pre-season promotion favourites after Chris O'Grady's 1st half stoppage time effort and a Gary Jones thunderbolt, gave Keith Hill's side a 2-0 victory over South Coast Club.

Chris O'Grady fired low past the South Coast Club's keeper Kelvin Davis after a counter attack by skipper Jones left the Dale striker clear inside the box.

Jones doubled Dale's advantage when he drilled home from 22 yards to gave Rochdale a first ever victory on the South Coast Club's soil.

Keith Hill opted to restore his first team after the midweek defeat to Port Vale in the Johnston Paint's Trophy. Captain Gary Jones, defender Joe Widdowson and striker Chris O'Grady started as did Jason Kennedy who missed the midweek game through suspension. Defender Craig Dawson started his first game since his big money move to Premier League side West Bromwich Albion and his subsequent loan move back to Spotland.

The South Coast Club included former Dale striker Rickie Lambert in their starting 11 as they looked to try and stabilise their season after manager Alan Pardew was sacked after last weekend’s 4-0 win at Bristol Rovers

Being roared on by over 17,500 home supporters, the South Coast Club started brighter and took the game to Rochdale from the whistle, although they had possession without really troubling Lillis in the Dale goal.

It took 18 minutes for the first goalmouth action when Connolly fired wide after a Lambert knock down.

Hill's side held their hosts at arm’s length and looked to hit the South Coast Club on the counter.

Gary Jones stung the hands of Davis when his 22 yard effort looked destined for the back of the net but the keeper pulled off a fine save.

The South Coast Club, under the caretaker leadership of Dean Wilkins, were limited to shots from distance up until the half hour mark and his side's best bit of football came 10 minutes from the break when Chamberlain's deep cross was nodded down by Puncheon but Connelly couldn't stretch enough to reach the loose ball.

Winger Chamberlain was a real thorn in the Dale side throughout the opening period and had a snap shot saved by Lillis as the half wore on.

The home side should have taken the lead 5 minutes before the interval when Lambert's deft cross was impeccably controlled by Puncheon who dropped his shoulder to lose Wiseman, but his shot was well saved by Lillis at full stretch to his right.

The game changed after the fourth official showed one minute of time added on.

Another South Coast Club attack was broken down when Wiseman intercepted and released Jones down the centre of the pitch. The Dale captain drove at the home defence with Elding tearing up alongside to his right and O'Grady available to his left. The 33 year old waited and waited before opting to release O'Grady inside the box, who, relatively unchallenged, fired low under Davis to take Rochdale into the half time interval 1-0 to the good and to send the home side in to a chorus of boos.

The second period was similar to the first with the South Coast Club keeping possession but with Dale fairly comfortable in defence.

Schneiderlin had a glorious opportunity to level the scores but crumbled under pressure when through on goal whilst Jason Puncheon squandered the home side's best chance moments later. Lambert's cross was headed down by Connolly but Puncheon blazed over from 6 yards.

The longer the game went with Dale leading, you could physically see the confidence draining from the South Coast Club and transferring to Hill's side.

O'Grady, who was man handled all game, broke away from his marker down the left and laid the ball across the face of goal. Jose Fonte tried to clear but sliced his clearance over the keeper and the ball bounced inches wide of the far post.

Defender Craig Dawson gave the travelling faithful a real scare nine minutes into the second half. A stinging drive by Captain Hammond hit the new West Brom player square in the face; and like a boxer taking a full blow, wobbled before falling heavily to the ground. He was fine to continue after treatment and showed no ill effects from his blow to the head.

Again the South Coast Club were restricted to shots from distance as Dale defended resolutely with Fonte’s shot hitting Lambert and sailing over.

The Rochdale defence, and Dawson in particular, had kept Rickie Lambert quiet throughout and the former Dale striker never really had a sniff of goal.

Hill’s men were looking stronger as the home side ran out of ideas of how to break the Dale defence and on 68 minutes, any chance of getting something from the game vanished. Tremendous work from O’Grady tight on the left flank allowed Widdowson the chance to join the Dale attack although the full back was tackled. Rather than let the attack come to nothing, Widdowson was tenacious in the tackle and toe poked the ball to Elding in the box. The former Stockport man laid the ball back to Jones who from 25 yards drilled an unstoppable shot beyond the despairing dive of Davies to double Dale’s advantage.

It was the talisman’s fifth of the season and he celebrated with the 539 travelling fans in one corner of St Mary’s. The South Coast Club's fans were leaving in their hundreds and even a late rally by the Home players couldn’t notch even a consolation.

Rochdale had withstood tremendous pressure at times in a game that in all fairness could have gone the opposite way had Puncheon in particular brought his shooting boots.

It will be a game that Dale fans will be talking about for years to come I’m sure and really was one of those ‘I was there’ moments. For ‘little old Rochdale’ to go to a club that are a Premier League club in all but status and come away with the three points is nothing short of miraculous, unless of course you speak to Keith Hill!

Due to the International break and subsequent lack of Premier League action, the media scrum after the game was intense as all the mational media were there, which is great news for Rochdale as when under the spotlight they shone through.

Keith Hill said: “It’s an unbeatable feeling for those that have experienced winning a football game like that, it’s an incredible feeling and that’s why we do it; we love this game.

"You have to play with bravery to get results like that here and I think we did that.

"We didn’t settle well, the first twenty minutes we were on the back foot but I think that helped us as we were very steady defensively so that twenty minutes gave us the opportunity to grow into the game.

"Gary Jones drove through the centre of the pitch, a great run from Anthony Elding and a good finish from Chris O’Grady and to go 1-0 up at a place like this you know you’re going to get the opposition coming at you but I thought we weathered that storm tremendously.

"They are going to have chances here, just look at the calibre of players that they have got but to keep Rickie Lambert quiet and give him no free kick opportunities was part of our strategy.

"I’m really pleased with the result and the points because they are so important.

"It was great to see so many fans down here and to celebrate with them down here was great. It is special and these are special days for a club like Rochdale. I now need every single supporter that turns up at Spotland to be behind what we are doing, I’m not moaning at them but I expect them to get behind what we are trying to achieve and be the extra player that we need.”

South Coast Club 0-2 Rochdale (O'Grady (45), Jones (68) )

Att: 18,169 (539 from Rochdale)

Rochdale: 
Lillis, Widdowson, Holness, Dawson, Wiseman, Jones(c), Kennedy, Barry-Murphy, Tutte (Joe Thompson 90), Elding, O'Grady
Subs (not used): Edwards, Done, Akpa-Akpro, Redshaw, Goodall, Josh Thompson

South Coast Club: 
Davis, Butterfield, Martin, Fonte, Harding, Chamberlain (Mills 71), Schneiderlin, Hammond(c), Puncheon, Connolly (Prado 61), Lambert.
Subs (not used): Bialkowski, Wotton, Jaidi, Dickson, Garrod

Referee: Mr A Woolmer
Ass Referee: Mr Rubery & Mr Wood
4th Official: Mr Hopkins

South Coast Club
Cautions: 0
Possession: 57%
Attempts on target: 7
Fouls: 8
Corners: 6


Rochdale
Cautions: 0
Possession: 43%
Attempts on target: 5
Fouls: 6
Corners: 2