Rochdale Online Alliance League round up

Rochdale Online Alliance Football League

The two games to survive the weather last Saturday were played at venues that graphically illustrate the differences between football of the modern era and the “good old days.”

In the President’s Cup Asia recorded their first victory of the season on the 3G at Hopwood Hall whilst in the Alletson & Mitchell Memorial Trophy Fothergill & Whittles 3rds shocked high flying AFC Royton on the undulations of Greenvale.
Asia are some proposition at home, playing neat attractive football to feet with good movement and purpose. FC Bury Town on the other hand found their more direct approach not best suited to the playing surface. With assistant manager Ashley Thew forced to don the gloves Asia looked to exploit a potential weakness and it paid off in the fourteenth minute when the under pressure Thew conceded possession leaving a tap in that gave Asia the lead.

The home side were certainly enjoying the lion’s share of possession, and Bury’s front runners were getting little joy out of an Asia back line well marshalled by Zaigham Khan, and it was no surprise when Asia doubled their lead in the fortieth minute when Thew was beaten by a low drive inside his near post.
Within ninety seconds of the restart it was 3-0 to the home side and a rout seemed likely but Khan’s only mistake of the match gave Bury a penalty and a foothold back into the game after fifty five minutes.

The goal seemed to have a disproportionate effect on the game as Asia seemed to lose a lot of the self belief that had given them so much control in the first half, and suddenly the visitors looked like they might be capable of rescuing a lost cause, but they were punished again for a defensive lapse in the seventy second minute and never really looked capable of getting back into it from there on in.

Fothergill & Whittles 3rds progressed to the next round of the Alletson & Mitchell Memorial Trophy with what many observers will see as a surprise victory over a Royton team that had completed the double over them in the league. On a cold and miserable afternoon the home side dominated the opening stages with their hard work and slick passing moves, and it was no surprise when they went ahead after Collins had been brought down just inside the box after some good work down the left. Collins picked himself up and slotted home the resultant penalty in style.

F&W's experienced back four (all 150 years of it!) were never under any real threat, being superbly marshaled by player manager Sunderland and captain Handley, and it was somewhat against the run of play when the league leaders had a chance to level towards the end of the half when they too were awarded an opportunity from the penalty spot. Grindrod, making his first start in goal for F&W's, anticipated the shot and saved well to ensure that they remained ahead at half-time. It was a crucial save at a potentially pivotal time of the game. 

Royton would have been hoping to come out all guns blazing after the interval and began by keeping possession for the opening passage of play. But the home side were in no mood to let their lead slip. The midfield foursome of Kibble, Hyland, Walsh and Culshaw were in total control, winning every challenge and making telling passes, whilst Collins, with his strong running and tight control, was impossible for the Royton defence to handle. The second goal was always going to be vital and it fell to F&W early in the second half when, after a searching long pass from Handley, Kibble nipped between defender and goalkeeper before rounding the latter to smash the ball into the roof of the net. F&W continued to dominate with Royton in truth offering little in response. 

The third goal arrived when another neat move involving Collins found the hard working Clarke on the edge of the box and his well struck shot took a deflection to wrong foot the keeper on it's way into the back of the Royton net. A fine second goal from Collins who drilled a superb shot from well outside the area completed the scoring in a well deserved 4-0 win. An impressive performance from F&W that will leave many wondering why they seem unable to replicate this type of display in the league.