Rochdale Online Alliance League round up

Rochdale Online Alliance Football League

With the completion of just 22 games in the seven Saturdays since Christmas there has been little change of real significance in any of the three divisions although two clubs have good reason to be more cheerful than most of late.

In the Premier Division Asia recorded their first league victory of the season at the ninth attempt and in doing so ended any realistic hopes Jacks House had of a top three finish. On the Hopwood Hall 3G surface Asia’s football is a joy to behold at times and this long overdue victory was founded on that fluent passing and movement base that has brought them tantalisingly close to all three points so many times already this season. Two goals up inside fifteen minutes through Sazadul Haque and Ahmed Maqsood Asia then conceded a careless goal to allow Jacks back into the contest but further strikes from Zaigham Khan, Rizwan Khan and Maqsood again sent the bottom side in to the half time team talk in a position of untold riches.

However, there are always goals on the Hopwood Hall 3G, fifty one now in six games, and Jacks struck twice on fifty four and eighty minutes to bring those furrows back to the brow of Asia manager Saeed Ahmed before goals from Sufyan Khan and Shahrukh Khan sealed that long awaited first league win.

With the sad demise of Roca Juniors the Premier Division’s new format, based on the Scottish Premier Division model, now takes on a 3:4 divide for the latter stage of the season with Weavers, Wardle and Fothergill & Whittles likely to make the top three leaving Jacks House, FC Bury Town, Whitworth Valley and Asia to contest the group of four. On current form it would take a brave man to bet against Weavers reclaiming the league title they lost last season to Castleton while any one of the ‘bottom four’ could find themselves in that relegation hot spot come May.

Amazingly, Matthew Montgomery & Co Division 2 leaders Bridge have played no less than five times in those same seven bleak weeks and the thirteen points they have gleaned sees them eleven points clear of their nearest challengers. Goals from Noble 2 and Haynes earned them a hard fought 3-2 away win at in form White Lion and promotion in their first season in the league seems almost assured now. Less clear is who may join them, with another of the newcomers Moorcock perhaps looking the best placed currently, though any one of AFC Royton, Sudden Carling and Wardle 3rds may well dispute that assertion.

Last season’s newcomers Balderstone are looking for a second successive promotion and the title race in the Matterson Cranes First Division looks to be a straight run in between them and current leaders Wardle 2nds.
 
Weavers 2nds 3-2 win over Fothergill & Whittles 2nds last weekend looks to have ended the latter’s hopes of the title, though they still have to play both Balderstone and Wardle in their final six games, while Rochdale Asia will consider themselves to be well in the mix even after a slow start to the season.

At the wrong end of the table beleaguered Waggon Athletic appear all but doomed which would leave Hargreaves and Whitworth Valley 2nds to ‘contest’ the second relegation place – and they still have to meet a second time following Hargreaves narrow home win back in early October.