Rochdale Online Alliance League round up

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Only five games survived as the Rain Gods frowned upon the North West last Saturday though three of them produced significant action at the top of each of the three divisions in the ROAFL.

The only game to survive in the Concept Filter Products Premier Division saw Wardle inflict Weavers second successive 3-2 defeat to narrow the gap at the top to just three points. As always in encounters between these two old foes there was no quarter asked for or given, though both keepers were relatively quiet in the opening quarter as defences were dominant and the real skirmishes limited to the middle of the park.

Weavers’ first real error in defence allowed Wardle to take the lead as a long clearance down the middle wasn’t attacked and, as the ball bounced over the retreating defenders, Smith was in to take it in his stride and knock the ball past the advancing keeper. Referee Joe Lowther was working hard to keep the game flowing as blood pressure rose on and off the field and it was Hands almost inevitably who manufactured the opportunity to level matters just before the half time whistle.

The early stages of the second period were relatively even but it was the visitors who took the lead again as Smith netted his second of the afternoon though that simply heralded a prolonged period of sustained pressure from the leaders that eventually bore them an equaliser through Hands from the penalty spot after Scowcroft brought down Butterworth.

A draw would have suited Weavers the better of the two, evidenced by Wardle’s attacking intent in the final quarter of an hour, and when a sharp move down the right hand side saw the ball knocked across the face of the Weavers goal it was almost inevitably Smith on the end of it to fire a low shot back across the keeper into the bottom corner. There was still time for the referee to wave away vehement appeals for a penalty by Weavers late on but the visitors held on to secure a vital win that opens up the title race going into the second half of the season.

In the Matterson Cranes Division 1 Balderstone’s narrow 4-3 win at Hargreaves moves them back into second place behind leaders Wardle 2nds thanks to goals from Gino Petrillo 2, Marco Petrillo and Martin Shaw, whilst Rochdale Asia lost further ground after their second successive draw at Rochdale Sacred Heart.

Somewhat surprisingly Bridge lost ground on the top two in the Matthew Montgomery & Co Division 2 after Frost 2 and McDonald scored the goals that earned visitors Woodbank a point at Heywood Sports Village and Horse & Farrier suffered a twelfth successive league game without a win after being well beaten at home by White Lion.

Cup action this weekend, weather permitting, with all cup games going straight to penalties after 90 minutes due to the predicted weather conditions both underfoot and particularly overhead.

In the President’s Cup Wardle face a tricky trip to Balderstone whilst Roca cannot be over confident as they travel to Heywood to meet Bridge, and there’s also a difficult to call all Premier Division clash at Hopwood Hall 3G between Asia and FC Bury Town.