Rochdale 3 - 0 Huddersfield

Rochdale 3 - 0 Huddersfield
Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro, Brian Barry-Murphy and Chris O'Grady celebrate Akpro's goal

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Rochdale overcame a very stern test this evening when they beat promotion favourites Huddersfield Town at Spotland 3-0 and in the process moved up to 4th in N Power League One.

Jason Kennedy’s 7th minute opener paved the way for a tremendous game of football with two late goals for the home side from Jean Louis Akpa-Akpro and Chris O’Grady sealing another memorable win.

Rochdale manager Keith Hill made 3 changes to the side that drew at the weekend. Alan Goodall replaced the injured Joe Widdowson at left back whilst Joe Thompson and Matt Done replaced Tutte and Elding on the flanks.

Backed by over 3200 supporters, Huddersfield started the game by forcing the home side onto the back foot. Their quick passing and movement had on emus signs for Hill’s side as Clark’s men seemed to be able to run at will at the home defence.

That said it was Dale who created the first opportunity when Gary Jones whipped in a cross that keeper Smithies collected when Matt Done looked set to connect. Gary Jones was at the heart of everything Dale a minute later when his bursting run down the left brought a foul by Johnson. Brian Barry-Murphy delivered a deep cross which Dawson headed back into the danger area for Kennedy to stab home from close range for his 3rd of the campaign and silencing the vociferous travelling support.

That early goal had the visitors stunned and for 10 minutes the game just ebbed and flowed until full back Lee Peltier took the game by the scruff of the neck. The full back, wanting to push on at every opportunity put in a delightful ball to Carey but the winger scuffed his effort wide.

Visiting manager Lee Clark was seething on 24 minutes when Dale defender Marcus Holness hauled down Pilkington on the half way line but referee Hegley failed to produce a card – much to the annoyance of Clark. The visitors were having a good spell and when Arfield picked up the ball just inside the Dale half he drove forward before unleashing a powerful strike that just evaded the left hand post with home stopper Lillis diving despairingly to his right.

As the game went into first half stoppage time, Joe Thompson beat the full back inside the left hand edge of the box but his shot from an acute angle brought about a fine save from Smithies.

The second period started in much the same way as the first with the Terriers pressing. Former Dale loanee Jordan Rhodes had been kept quite throughout the first 45 minutes but got his first real sight of goal 2 minutes after the restart. A huge mêlée in the box led to Rhodes trying a snap shot from 12 yards but the striker fired over. Winger Graham Carey was starting to cause the home side problems with his pace and trickery but his cross on 51 minutes was inches too far ahead of Rhodes and the ball drifted from play.

If visiting manager had a complaint in the first period when Holness didn’t receive a caution for a foul, he would have had a sigh of relief on 55. Matt Done’s pace outstripped Town’s Captain Peter Clarke and as he knocked the ball past the former England Under 21 International the referee claimed Clarke didn’t touch the man and gave a goal-kick. Hill’s men had weathered the Terriers storm and were beginning to create opportunities of their own. Gary Jones’ deep cross evaded everybody but Done’s pace again gave him the edge and as he picked the ball up out wide he turned and delivered a pin point cross but Jones’ powerful header went inches wide.

The visitors were beginning to look desperate as the clock ticked down and threw on striker Lee Novak just after the hour mark. The former Gateshead striker almost got the leveller with his first touch when a deep free kick from the half way line was headed across goal but the substitute couldn’t divert his header on target. The visiting fans thought they had scored with 15 minutes left after Peltier slid the ball goal wards from a Pilkington cross but could only find the side netting.

Home keeper Josh Lillis then earned his clean sheet bonus with 2 fine stops. Firstly Joe Garner almost got his first Town goal after good work from Peltier but the striker powerful shot was kept out. Then a right wing cross was met by Gardner but his sliding effort was saved low down to his left by Lillis.

With the clock ticking down, Dale began to exploit their opponent’s tiredness. A series of corners forced some desperate defending by the Terriers when Dawson’s looping header was cleared from under his own bar by Novak. Another corner was only partially cleared and O’Grady volleyed the ball back towards goal with Dawson getting the slightest of touches but the ball wouldn’t cross the line.

With 2 minutes left of the 90 Dale got the second breakthrough they had been longing for. Jean Louis Akpa-Akpro had only been on the pitch 3 minutes when he raced away after receiving a loose ball before showing immense composure to slot home his First goal in Dale colours. The home fans went delirious and things were to get even better 60 seconds later. Josh Thompsons deep centre was fumbled by the keeper after a mix up with his defenders and the ball found O’Grady who still had plenty to do. He twisted and turned to evade the keeper and slammed the ball into the roof of the net beyond the defenders on the line to give the scoreline a one sided look.

Huddersfield did have the ball in the net in stoppage time but the referee disallowed it for a push.

It might have been backs against the wall stuff at times during the second half but Dales dogged defending coupled with their superior finishing meant they probably deserved the win, a win that stretches their unbeaten run to 6 and moves them up to 4th in N Power League One with 16 points from 9 games played.

Keith Hill said after the game: “Once we got the goal we led them into false areas of the pitch, I know they had a lot of pressure, but where did it really go? I could have sounded like any other manager after games tonight and said we should have lost the game, but I don’t think we should have done. I thought we were exceptional. We started the game at a tempo that we knew couldn’t be sustained for 90 minutes but we wanted to take the game to them. They are an excellent side; a superb outfit. We expected them to have quite a lot of possession in the second half but then when we got the substitutes that we have we increase the potential to go and score again. However you look at it, whether they had more possession, we won 3-0 just like Saturday against Plymouth we had 65% and drew 1-1. I thought our strategy was excellent tonight. The team performance was excellent. The lads I brought in were great and the lads I left out were fully inclusive of what we are doing.

“It was brilliant to get the early goal and quieten the Huddersfield fans. Really pleased to score and the manner that we won the game against an excellent side against a massive side in terms of their expectancy and what they want this season its extra special. Their crowd probably dwarfed the home support but the home support was excellent and they have seen what I consider to be an excellent football match tonight. Some excellent defending from us and some missed opportunities from them; there is no question about that. They have got quality players but every manager has said they missed too many opportunities and they should have beaten Rochdale. I don’t think that’s a case. I’m sick of people suggesting they should have beaten Rochdale but they can keep saying it because we keep taking the points away.

Rochdale 3-0 Huddersfield Town
Kennedy (7)
Akpa-Akpro (88)
O’Grady (89)

Att: 6121

Rochdale:
Lillis, Josh Thompson, Holness, Dawson, Goodall (Flynn 68), Joe Thompson (Akpa-Akpro 85), Barry-Murphy, Done (Smalley 76), Jones (c), Kennedy, O'Grady
Subs (not used): Ryan Jones, Tutte, Elding

Huddersfield Town:
Smithies, Peltier, Clarke (c), McCombe, Ridehalgh (Lee 88), Carey, Johnson, Arfield, Pilkington, Rhodes (Novak 62), Garner
Subs (not used): Bennett, Gudjonsson, Croft, Atkinson, Kay

Referee: Mr G Hegley
Ass referee’s: Mr B Khatib & Mr P Wright
4th official: Mr A Newall

Rochdale
Cautions: 0
Possession: 42%
Attempts on target: 6
Fouls: 10
Corners: 8

Huddersfield Town
Cautions: 0
Possession: 58%
Attempts on target: 6
Fouls: 7
Corners: 6