Rochdale Online Alliance League

Rochdale Online Alliance Football League

Fothergill & Whittles and Wardle are setting the pace in the Sartori Sharpening Services Premier Division with two wins apiece.

New signing Paul Sykes and Darren Smith each netted twice in Wardle’s 5-2 away win at FC Bury Town, but the goalscoring star was undoubtedly Fothergill’s Andrew White with five as his side scored nine for the second week running.

Newly promoted Rochdale Asia were the team on the receiving end as they remain pointless after three games.

Jack's House are the September leaders in the Matterson Cranes First Division with six points and thirteen goals from their two games. Their game against newcomers Westdene was abandoned after fifty five minutes following a serious facial injury sustained by the Westdene keeper Richard Delve.

Westdene led at the time and have made an impressive start in their first season, highlighted by an emphatic home win the previous weekend against Whitworth Valley 2nds.

Fothergill & Whittles remain pointless after crashing 6-1 to Wardle 2nds at Rutherford Park but the six teams in between themselves and Jack's are tightly grouped together as the first month of the season nears its soggy end.

Fothergill and Whittles 3rds lost their first game in the Matthew Montgomery & Co Second Division as goals from McDonald and Taylor propelled Woodbank to a 2-0 win at Nuttall Park.

White Lion are the new leaders after an easy win over Horse & Farrier, and Sudden look likely to profit from an influx of players and new management as they edged a tight game against Wardle 3rds by the only goal of the game from Fitz McKenzie.

At New Barn, AFC Royton dominated the opening half an hour against the other league newcomers Rochdale Galaxy, and led through goals from Hague and Wild, but in truth they should have been out of sight.

Galaxy began to get into the game and they dominated the remainder of the half, reducing the deficit with a stunning long range strike from the ex Asia skipper Zaigham Khan.

The second half was a disappointment as play became scrappy and neither side could wrest control, enabling Royton to hold on for their first win of the season.