Rochdale Online Alliance Football League Report

Rochdale Online Alliance Football League

There were plenty of goals, 58 in nine games, in week eight of the Rochdale Online Alliance Football League (ROAFL) with three individuals recording four goals in a game for their respective sides as the picture at the top of the Sartori Sharpening Services Premier Division altered perspective once again.

Last week White Lion secured a morale boosting away win at leaders FC Bury Town, and they were at it again on Saturday as they demolished Whitworth Valley’s newly created one hundred percent record with a crushing 6-1 home win based on some terrific football and four goals from Jamie Lord. Lewis and Jackson added further goals.

King William IV will not be relishing their trip to Firgrove this coming weekend, especially after slipping to their second league defeat by the odd goal in nine as their home game with leaders Balderstone was switched to 3G with the Kingsway grass surface waterlogged. Kelly (2), Heywood, Murray and Bennett were Balderstone’s scorers.

Fothergill & Whittles are going through a difficult patch and after their LFA Cup exit at Burnley Belvedere an untypically error strewn performance was punished by Walsden C&FC as goals from Barnes, Gale and Hanson embellished another four goal performance, this one from Danny Brown.

F&W will be looking to regroup, starting with a home game against Woodbank this weekend and their visitors will not make life easy despite slipping to a third defeat in six at FC Bury Town. Mulhall and Qualters the scorers.

The third four goal hero was Matthew Montgomery & Co Division 1 leaders Fothergill & Whittles 2nds’ Chris Johnson as they were predictably too strong for pointless Syke at Whittles Park.

F&W did not have it all their own way and there have been positive signs of better times ahead for Syke in their last two games.

Sudden are second after a hard fought 2-2 home draw with Hargreaves at Matthew Moss, which keeps the visitors’ unbeaten record intact.

A stunning free kick from Galbraith was the highlight of a well organised and competitive performance from a very good Hargreaves side with McKenzie’s two goals earning Sudden a point that could, and probably, should have been three when a defensive slip gifted McKenzie the chance to complete his hat trick in the last minute of time added on. Surprisingly, he side footed the chance wide and the final scoreline was a fair reflection of the game overall.

The remaining games saw teams at the wrong end of the table supplementing their meagre points supply, with the outstanding performance at Crossley as two goals from Danny Cole earned Chadderton Park a home draw with Balderstone 2nds.

Both F&W Rovers and Wardle OB secured their third wins of the season against Rochdale Galaxy and Horse & Farrier respectively. Handley (2), Whiteman and Vickers were F&W’s scorers as Sabar Ansari’s team continue to find goals hard to come by, while Wardle OB conversely enjoyed the luxury of seven different scorers against H&F at Firgrove.