Rochdale Online Alliance League round-up

Rochdale Online Alliance Football League

With the Concept Filter Products Premier Division title safely in Castleton’s hands attention turns to the lower divisions as the current season rounds the final bend in the race for ROAFL silverware.

All three title contenders won in the Matterson Cranes Division 1 race so it remains advantage Jacks House after an Alan Sutcliffe hat trick fired them to a 5-1 away victory over mid table Hargreaves at Goshen.

To compound a bad day for the boys from Bury, including news from Port Vale, a bullet header from Daniel Baron gave Weavers 2nds the narrowest of victories over Prestwich Town at Firgrove. Beaten by the same opposition just seven days ago this was a must win game for Weavers and they went into the game having struggled once again to find a full team. With emergency keeper Bradley Greenwood exceeding expectations in goal Weavers gained confidence throughout the ninety minutes and were good value for their win in the end though Prestwich did hit the woodwork twice in the final ten minutes.

At Springhill the old foe of a blustery wind and hard dry pitch did not make for much of a spectacle but it was visitors Whitworth Valley 2nds who managed to get the ball down and play as Proctor and Fitzpatrick put them two up inside fifteen minutes.

Waggon came more in to the game and reduced the deficit through Brooks before missing a golden opportunity to level matters before the break. That was to cost them as Valley restored their two goal advantage through substitute Schofield on the hour mark – an advantage that lasted all of sixty seconds before Gerrard fired Waggon right back into contention.

Good goalkeeping and poor finishing underlined the next twenty minutes until Waggon looked to have secured a valuable point five minutes from time when Coppin fired in an unstoppable volley from a half cleared corner. Waggon then conceded a needless free kick one minute into time added on but Connellan looked to have wasted Valley’s final opportunity with an aimless ball into the area that was missed by everybody but came to earth in the back of the Waggon net.

The win maintains Valley’s advantage over Weavers in the race for that probable second place but the defeat leaves a fast sliding Waggon staring the distinct possibility of relegation in the face.

The picture is rather more confused in the Matthew Montgomery & Co Division 2 title race and this one seems destined to go to the final day of the season though Balderstone’s 4-2 away win at Jacks House 2nds, Shaw (2), Jopson and Petrillo the scorers, leaves them clear favourites for the title even though they have still eight games to play.
A vital 3-2 away victory for Fothergill & Whittles 2nds at fellow promotion hopefuls AFC Royton underlines the credibility of their challenge as goals from Clark (2) and Vickers looks to have consigned the home side to another season of so near yet so far.

Fortunately a short journey home for Sun Hotel as their title challenge was severely dented by Wardle 3rds at Rakewood. A Jordan Wallis hat trick along with goals from Jackson, Howson, Porter and Dewhurst inflicted Sun’s fourth and heaviest defeat of the season and allowed Sudden Carling 2nds to slip into fourth place with a 5-0 home win over Horse & Farrier at Matthew Moss.

An under strength Syke 2nds will see a point from their trip to Woodbank as due reward for the efforts both on and off the field of their management team, but in truth their title challenge is realistically over in a division that remains fascinatingly poised.

Weavers 4-1 away win at Roca Juniors maintains their narrow advantage in the race for second place in the Premier Division, while a Ryan Hill hat trick almost certainly condemned Rochdale Asia to relegation whilst at the same time kept Wardle’s hopes of the runners up spot alive.

Syke’s challenge is all but over after a home defeat to a Castleton side determined to maintain their high standards to the last day of the season, while an Oliver Marshall goal was not enough to save Whitworth Valley from a home defeat to Fothergill & Whittles that means Valley’s late season problems are still offering encouragement to Asia in their battle to avoid the drop.