Rochdale Online Alliance Football League Report

Rochdale Online Alliance Football League

Only two games survived the prevailing weather conditions in the Sartori Sharpening Services Premier Division, both courtesy of 3G technology and both allowing the winners to close the gap on leaders FC Bury Town.

Oldham Boro are now just four points behind the leaders after goals from Rafferty, Ogunnuga and Wilson gave them a hard fought 3-2 home win over Woodbank.

Second placed Balderstone narrowed the gap to just two points, and with a game in hand, after a comfortable 3-0 away win at basement team Star Athletic.

Balderstone are a potent mix of youth and experience and with the recent addition of players of the calibre of Danny Kershaw and Nick Dowsing they look well set to reclaim the Premier Division crown 'surrendered' to Wardle in the past two seasons.

Star may be bottom but they are no push overs, and an open game full of free flowing football was played out under leaden skies at Hopwood Hall.

Balderstone began strongly and were in front through Heywood when he found himself all alone on the edge of the area after the Star back four pushed up but failed to cut out the through ball played whilst Heywood was still onside.

A sucker punch that was to be repeated inside ten minutes as this time the runner, Butterworth, went through on his own, ignoring his offside colleagues to score with aplomb.

Star continued to enjoy plenty of possession but Balderstone were far more incisive and added a third just before the interval through Bennett.

Much to manager Tony McCarroll’s frustration Balderstone began to indulge themselves after the interval, passing the ball around in areas of the pitch that were not going to hurt Star,  but the home side are low on confidence, especially in front of goal, illustrated by their failure to take either of two golden opportunities late on to reduce the deficit.

Afterwards McCarroll talked about the vagaries of amateur football management; his delight at the potential of his emerging team, and his frustration at the attitude of players who left him with just two substitutes on Saturday, a situation that had a particularly negative effect on Balderstone’s 2nd team in their home game with Whitworth Valley 2nds. With manager Nathan Agg pressed into action, and no other presence on the bench, Balderstone were eventually over powered by their full strength visitors who gained maximum reward for a Ben Ratu hat trick.

In the Matterson Cranes First Division, a Chris Johnson hat trick maintained F&W 2nds one hundred percent record as his side moved within a point of leaders Sudden, with two games in hand, after a 3-0 home win over Wardle OB.

Hargreaves are still unbeaten in the league but will see their 1-1 draw with Chadderton Park as two points lost. A third draw in six sees them sat mid table, albeit with games in hand on all the teams above them; one of whom is Rochdale Asia after a regulation win over Horse & Farrier thanks to goals from Omar Rashid (3), Munawar Mohammad (2), Lee O’Neil (2) and Iblal Hussain.