Plymouth Argyle 0 - 1 Rochdale

Rochdale reached the 51 point mark in League One after Gary Jones scored the only goal of a tight affair at Home Park. The Dale skipper managed to squeeze the ball home from a tight angle after Nicky Adams' scuffed shot fell kindly to Jones. Yala Bolasie hit the woodwork for the home side in the first half but misses from Atkinson, Jones & Adams when well placed could have heaped even more misery on the struggling Pilgrims.

Dale manager Keith Hill made one change from the side that beat Notts County on Tuesday with Will Atkinson replacing Liam Dickinson.

The first half was a fairly mundane affair with neither team testing the opposition keeper. It took until the 26th minute for the first action when Gary Jones curled an effort into the hands of Larrieu from inside the area.

Minutes later and the home side went close when the dangerous Bolasie headed against the outside of the upright with a firm header.

Rochdale pressed the home defence as the half drew to a close, Atkinson should have opened the scoring. Nicky Adams put in a perfect cross from the left for the on loan Hull winger but his free header lacked pace and the keeper gathered. Adams again caused problem when he and Barry-Murphy linked down the right but Adams' centre was diverted away by Larrieu with O'Grady ready to pounce.

Three minutes into the second half, Rochdale took the lead. Nicky Adams' first time shot was screwed well off target but the ball fell to Jones at the back post who drilled the ball inside the post with Larrieu unlucky not to keep out the effort. It's Jones' 17th goal in all competitions for the veteran skipper.

Home manager Peter Reid knew his side needed to get something from the game and threw on former Dale striker Rory Patterson in an attempt to get back on terms. The Northern Irishman made a nuisance of himself but the closest he came was a thunderous free kick which flashed just over the bar. Rory Fallon also saw a turn and shot go over whilst Peterlin was thwarted by the quick reactions from Fon Williams when he tried to reach a Bolasie knock down.

Nicky Adams had the chance to double the lead after making space for himself but his curling shot lacked the direction needed to beat Larrieu.

After receiving a 10 point deduction for going into administration that sunk Plymouth to the bottom of League One, The Green army knew their side needed a lift and you sense the need for urgency coming from the stands. As they pushed forward, holes appeared in the home defence but Hill’s men couldn’t exploit. The tricky Bolasie again jinked through Dale players but his centre was cut out by a fine Scott Wiseman challenge with Dale substitute Matt Done racing away on the counter. With nobody able to keep up with the fresh legs, the winger had to go alone but shot into the side netting on the angle.

Fon Williams had to be brave when he punched a Plymouth centre whilst Mason thought he’d nicked as point but his powerful drive from 10 yards was beaten away by the Dale stopper.

Three very good points for Hill’s men which sees them rise to 9th in League One and almost guaranteed survival in their first season in League One but with games in hand on teams above, I’m sure the dream of reaching the end of season playoff’s is still alive and well in the Dale camp.

Keith Hill was happy when he spoke afterwards: “We’ve got 11 games left and I am really happy to get 51 points. At the beginning of the season, I doubt there would have been too many pundits that would have expected us to get 51 points so really pleased. I’m pleased with the performance; I’m pleased we got to half time without conceding which is integral to our game plan.

“They (Plymouth) had a massive journey during the week so perhaps that took a little bit out of them, we were quite comfortable with the pace that had been set and thought we could have done more to make an impact on the opposition. We just tweaked one or two things at half time and just made sure we were competitive in certain areas of the pitch to create chances and once we got 1-0 up we managed the game superbly and could’ve gone and nicked another goal.

“I’m really happy with a 1-0 result. Gary Jones is difficult to mark, he does have a few shots from outside the area but he knows where the back of the net is and it’s his best goal tally for any one season. I feel we deserved the victory, we kept the ball and in the second half we were superb.

“Owain Fon Williams is a good goalkeeper and great shot stopper but I do expect more from him in terms of his distribution. I know that will improve in his game but 2 clean sheets on the bounce is excellent for him and the back 4.

“Robbie Williams has come in and done a good job but he was tiring towards the end which is why we brought Joe (Widdowson) on.

“The loan window shuts on Thursday but I’m not too sure if we will bring any fresh faces in. It’s difficult as I don’t know whether to spend any money now or save it for next season. I presume we have got cash in the bank as we haven’t spent our budget and the cash injection from Craig Dawson, the payments from Will Buckley, Adam Le Fondre and the cash injection from TV games; some is still available.

“ I’m really happy with the bunch of lads we have got but if we get any injuries then I’m down to apprentices and David Flitcroft and it wouldn’t be insulting to the opposition or our supporters to play David as he trains everyday and he keeps up with the first team lads. I will speak to the Chairman, The board and Flicker and see. I trust these players and it’s great to have that close trust but I maybe think I would be better spending the money that’s been saved from this season, next season”

With regards the playoff’s he added: “We are never out of them, what’s good about us now is that we going into 11 games without any pressure and it could  work one of two ways. We could switch off like we did last season or we can play free football and express ourselves. The pressure is on the bigger sides to go and get promoted. I was really disappointed with the 3 defeats, particularly the Exeter one but we have responded well. The challenge is still there for the players and 11 games, 33 point. It’s a lot of points left available but going back to the start of the season nobody gave us a prayer of staying up and everybody deserves credit. Myself, the players, Flickers, the Chairman, The board of directors and the club staff, the supporters as well. Again they have travelled down here in good numbers and it costs a lot of money and we appreciate that. But the season so far has been a real success and nothing that happens now should take away from that success. I think 51 points will be enough (for survival) but whilst there are still 33 points to play for anything can happen.”


Att: 8361 (145 away)

Rochdale: Fon Williams, Wiseman, Holness, Dawson, Williams (Widdowson 74),
Adams, Jones (c), Barry-Murphy, Kennedy, Atkinson (Done 65), O'Grady (Dickinson 90+3).

Subs (not used): Edwards, Akpa-Akpro, Thompson, Gray

Plymouth Argyle: Larrieu, Duguid, N'Gala (Patterson 57), Fletcher, Clark (Paterson 90+3), Fallon, Mason, Bolasie, Peterlin, Nelson, Zubar.

Subs (not used): Button, Timar, Walton, Young


Referee: S Hooper
Ass Referee's: W Bull & M Pottage
4th Official: A Turner