Rochdale Online Alliance Football League Report

Rochdale Online Alliance Football League

Week 6 of the season perhaps sees a degree of clarity emerging in both divisions of the ROAFL though pre season hopes of far more competitive divisions have clearly been granted.

In the Sartori Sharpening Services Premier Division FC Bury Town have declared their title ambitions with a narrow home win over Fothergill & Whittles to back up their impressive away win at Oldham Boro seven days previously. Goals from Keefe 2, Qualters and Pyrah edged a tight contest at Derby High School with Morton, Platt and Smith on target for the visitors. 

King William IV dropped their first points of the season as they were held by Oldham Boro in a game marred by the non appearance of the match referee.

Balderstone maintained second place as an Anthony Heywood hat trick fired them to a 4-1 home win over White Lion.

The fourth team threatening to open a gap between themselves and the rest of the division are Whitworth Valley, who are making their customary strong start to the season, and continued this with a narrow away win at Rochdale Sacred Heart thanks to goals from Hoyle, Wain, Foster and Marshall. 

Walsden’s thumping away win at Westdene sadly will count for nothing as it was the final straw for the Westdene management’s faith in their team at this level and they have resigned from the league with immediate effect and their record will be expunged.

In the first round of the President’s Cup there was only one close contest and several high scores as the Division 1 sides battled for the right to join the Premier Division outfits by Round 3.

In the day’s closest encounter a Ben Ratu goal was enough to see Whitworth Valley 2nds past F&W Rovers at Rawstron Street and they will now meet Rochdale Asia who reached double figures against struggling Mighty Dragons with four goals apiece for Malik and Rushton. 

Sudden’s 5-1 home win over Wardle OB sees them straight through to a third round visit to King William IV, Knight 2, Teasdale, McKenzie and McArdle the scorers.

Four goals from Sneyd underpinned Chadderton Park’s six goal canter against Syke at Crossley and they now travel to face Fothergill & Whittles 2nds in the next round; a far more demanding task for Ian Lawrence’s side if the evidence of Fothergill’s comprehensive demolition of Rochdale Galaxy is a reliable form guide.

From the first whistle Fothergills’ confidence was obvious as they played a high tempo passing game that left a hapless Galaxy side chasing shadows.

It was 3-0 within the first ten minutes as White and Johnson clinically finished the flowing moves created by the home side’s dominantly creative midfield play.

As the half progressed a more even pattern emerged and Jones pulled a goal back for the visitors before the break.

Any realistic hopes Galaxy held of getting back into the tie were sunk by a fourth goal from the home side early in the second period and as Galaxy lost their self discipline Fothergills took full advantage.  

Johnson and White completed their personal hat tricks and a stunning strike from Taylor underlined the dominance of the home side.

With a goal difference of forty five already in the league, and with leading scorer Andy White on an amazing twenty three goals, the question has to be can anyone stop Nick Sunderland’s men this season?