Rochdale Online Alliance League round-up

Rochdale Online Alliance Football League

The first silverware of the current Rochdale Online Alliance Football League season has been decided as long term Premier Division leaders Castleton clinched the title with a 4-1 home win over Roca Juniors at Matthew Moss.

A double from Connor McEvoy alongside goals from Michael Kearney and Richard Helm sealed the title with two games still outstanding. With a massively superior goal difference to every other side in the division Castleton are worthy winners in their first season in the top flight and can now concentrate on a potential league and cup double as they are already safely through to the semi finals of the President’s Cup.

Fothergill & Whittles outside chances of runners up spot ended with a 2-1 home reverse at the feet of a very much under strength Weavers Arms at Whittle Park. A lack lustre performance was underlined by the lack of a shot on target in the first forty five minutes, whereas Weavers netted twice from long range through Staniland and Sands to lead by two goals at the interval. Although Holbrook reduced the arrears late on Weavers gained the three points that keeps them in sight of the runners up spot themselves.

Wardle and Syke maintained their interest in second place with comprehensive victories of their own; the former 5-0 winners over a struggling Whitworth Valley outfit and the latter 8-1 home victors over basement outfit Rochdale Asia. O’Brien and Kershaw gave Syke a two goal interval lead and with Fairclough in outstanding form the second period was simply one way traffic, as O’Brien completed his hat trick alongside doubles from Fairclough himself and Wilkinson.

Whitworth Valley 2nds narrow home victory over Peels Arms cast new energy into the Matterson Cranes Division 1 title race as both Jacks House and Weavers 2nds suffered surprise defeats.

First team call ups certainly had an effect on Weavers but they still dominated the early play, despite falling behind to a goal from McGrath, and when Forshaw levelled before the break with his twenty first goal of the season they had high hopes of a vital three points. However, it was not to be as Faulkner’s effort that came back off the bar was the closest they came and Prestwich netted either side of Faulkner’s bad luck through McGrath again and Hall to take all three points.
It seemed business as usual for unbeaten Jacks House at Rutherford Park as they cruised into a 4-0 interval lead against relegation threatened Wardle 2nds. However, complacency may well have set in and the accompanying feeling of self satisfaction was relatively short lived as goals from Causton (2), Sutcliffe (2) and Heys provided an astonishing second half reversal of fortunes that sent Jacks back up Todmorden Road licking the wounds of a first league defeat of the season.

At the wrong end of the table Waggon Athletic were the big movers, courtesy of a 4-1 away win at Hargreaves ; a victory that will have Sudden Carling anxiously looking over the shoulders despite a valuable away point at Castleton 2nds.

A measure of the progress made this season by Fothergill & Whittles 2nds is the fact that they will look on their 1-1 draw with Wardle 3rds as two points dropped on a day when Balderstone moved into second place with games in hand following a workmanlike home win over Woodbank at Springhill.
Wardle dominated the first period and took a deserved lead but Fothergills came much more into the contest after the interval and levelled through Collins. Neither side could force the winner that in truth they both needed, considering Balderstone’s games in hand, and they will no doubt be relieved to hear that two of the chasing pack could only share the points, and eight goals, at New Barn as AFC Royton and Sun Hotel met for the second team in eight days.

Even Sudden Carling 2nds in seventh place cannot be ruled out of the title mix though a 1-1 draw with Jacks House 2nds thanks to an Steven Warburton goal was not the result they really needed either.

Horse & Farrier had managed just twelve goals in fourteen games this season and so the six they scored on Saturday have surely condemned Rochdale Asia 2nds to the strongest position in the entire league!! Farrier’s win means Asia need at the very least two wins from their remaining four games, an unlikely happening one has to say.

And so as the clocks spring forward this weekend the season enters its final phase with a smattering of night games inevitable, and several clubs in Divisions 1 and 2 especially will be hoping work commitments , injuries and suspensions do not have an adverse effect on the progress made to date!