Rochdale Online Alliance Football League Report

Rochdale Online Alliance Football League

Suggesting a degree of clarity was emerging in the Sartori Sharpening Services Premier Division was the cue for newly promoted White Lion to provide their best result of the season as they lowered leaders FC Bury Town’s colours at Derby High School.

Mark Horner’s team have had a fraught start to the season, engendered to a certain extent by their own lack of faith in their ability. Hopefully, this result will draw a line under that uncertainty as goals from Lewis, Cosgrave and Nicholson gave them their second, and most significant, victory of the season.

To compound Bury’s misery the resignation of Westdene has had a negative influence on their lead at the top of the table as Whitworth Valley’s surprising home loss to Westdene on the opening day of the season is now expunged from the records.

A Mark Foster hat trick led Valley to an impressive 4-0 home win over previously unbeaten King William IV at Rawstron Street and they are now second with the only remaining one hundred percent record in the top division.

Curiously, Balderstone are now top even though they did not play last Saturday and new boys Oldham Boro move to fourth after a thumping away win at Star Athletic.

Star are a team full of ability but little confidence at the moment and should have gone ahead in only the second minute but squandered a gilt edged opportunity to do so.

Boro were below par in the first half but underlined the difference confidence makes when Wilson picked up a loose ball on the edge of the area, worked himself some space and curled an exquisite low shot into the bottom left hand corner.

Possession was equally shared in the opening period but disaster struck for Star in the last minute of the half when defensive hesitancy gifted Boro a second goal.

That error was compounded within ninety seconds of the restart as Star missed a simple chance to reduce the arrears and when Boro broke away from a corner in their own box to score the game’s outstanding goal it was game over.

A much improved second half from Boro simply overwhelmed their hosts as Wilson added his second alongside goals from Melling, Rafferty, Ogunuga and Beckles (2).

The top division’s second hat trick came from Woodbank’s experienced striker John Frost as they edged Rochdale Sacred Heart by the odd goal in five at Nuttall Park – Mooney and Hibbert on the mark for the losers.

Hargreaves took their good early season form into the President’s Cup as a nap hand from Buba Johnson saw them easily through to a second round tie away to Balderstone 2nds.

Meanwhile Fothergill & Whittles 2nds moved to the top of the Matthew Montgomery & Co First Division with another comprehensive victory which increases their goal difference to a breathtaking plus fifty two after just six league games.

Only one goal for leading goalscorer Andrew White this time out as a Chris Johnson hat trick allied to goals from Culshaw, Shepherd and Greenwood gave them an 8-1 win over Rochdale Asia.

Sudden are second but made surprisingly hard work of their latest win, 2-1 at bottom club Syke with goals from Iqbal and McKenzie.

Somewhat surprisingly, Chadderton Park continue to struggle for form, beaten 4-2 at home by F&W Rovers, and so do Rochdale Galaxy, hit for six by a Mighty Dragons side enjoying their best win of the season to date.

As for this weekend’s key games, Premier Division leaders Balderstone face a difficult transfer from the 3G to the grass at Kingsway Sports Centre as they face King William IV, whilst in Division 1 Hargreaves unbeaten record will be severely tested by second placed Sudden at Matthew Moss.