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Thread | Crossing the White Line
at 16:26 28 Apr 2026
The game commenced. The only relief from the tension to lift your eyes away from the ground and study the green hill and the brown hill. Pock marked by mine heaps and scarred by the old famine road running up Rooley Moor. But really you couldn’t look away for long. Even the trees peering over the Sandy Lane End were intrigued to watch the two masters of the late finish slug it out.
In extra time Hendo did something no one had achieved in the game so far … he left Boateng for dead and then delivered the first quality cross of the match. Flicked with the outside of the boot the ball departed towards the Pearl Street end, with its slow motion spin and spell revealed in flight.
Mani Desurwe was now airborne, like a plane gliding into Manchester airport or a heron sailing down the Naden valley. Somewhere in his slipstream Gordon had caught a ride but Mani was the pilot, head and shoulders above Kitching, floundering somewhere in the aisle with an upturned drinks trolley.
There could be no doubt that Mani would nail it, the goal a thing of beauty and the eruption of relief that followed, positively volcanic. What followed has occasioned endless comment. Delirium among the players, a pitch invasion led by the Ublock hoard, supported by cavalry from the Sandy Lane end and the Dale bench themselves sprinting toward a wounded enemy, like Harold’s men at Hastings.
When order was eventually restored, it dawned that Dale had to hold on for just two minutes. The ideal scenario as York had scored so many late goals this season, and now their powerful attack would be all out. A minute in and all seemed well. A throw-in that could have gone either way was awarded to Dale. A hoof upfield and out of touch followed. Possession had been all too quickly returned to York. A long throw in, aided by the usual stealing of five yards brought the ball toward the danger area.
What happened next is still difficult to comprehend and process. Dale players seemed to disappear. Boateng won a header unchallenged, another Yorkie went on a mazey run across the edge of the Dale penalty area, sucking defenders out of position, Josh Stones appeared from no where and fired the ball toward goal, it was repelled like a pin ball but fell to another wide York man who sent it over to the far post. There, three unmarked York players had time for a short meeting with a tea break to decide who would head it in. The ball was head butted ferociously. Most of the Dale players were now defending so deep that they were either in the goal itself, or on the Sandy Lane terrace, or had mysteriously headed for a corner flag. However, a small possee remained around Whatmuff and somehow, while generally impeding each other, they kept it out between them. The fickle finger of fate indicated that the ball should fall again to Josh Stones, York’s most dangerous player, now completely unmarked. He fired in an artillery shell at point blank range. One last act: a final rearguard soldier patrolling the goal line. He could do little but try to force his body into the way while every human instinct commanded to get out of the way. The contortion that resulted stopped the ball but whether it was over the line or not was anyone’s guess. Sadly, anyone was the linesman and he was on the York fan’s side of the ground.
All of the above almost defies belief and still leaves the spectator stunned. There is only one sensible re-action. Buy a ticket for the play off match on Sunday and start praying. Dale will need to do something a little different. One or two tweaks to the team are needed. Not even on the subs bench recently, there reposes a rather forgotten cocky, no fear, player full of youthful confidence. A player whose name is more suited to the snack bar than the first team. I wonder if his hour has come.
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Reply | Rochdale 1 - 1 Port Vale - Player Ratings and Reports
at 16:53 23 Feb 2022
Dale v Vale
Within 5 minutes of the start it was clear that Vale were a stronger, more up for it, team than Dale. Their players were a different shape, tall with very wide shoulders, they looked a bit like American Rose Bowl footballers without the helmet. Hussey was a case in point, robust but skillful, and methodical too. Slowly Dale tried to come in to it. Newby and Grant attempted to get going but 50 / 50 balls turned out often to be 10/90 with the referee intervening occasionally to make it 0/100. Dorsett started on one of his composure wobbles. Clark and O’Keefe played a private game to see who could overhit a cross the hardest.
Finally, I lost my rag and took it out on Hussey as he was nearest. I gave him some old-fashioned rubbishing. I knew it would make a difference and it did. He replaced Vale’s usual short corner merchant, and duly stroked the ball onto the head of Ben Garrity who was cheating by wearing a cloak of invisibility in Dale’s 6 yard box. In it went : 1-0 and just before half time. Karma.
The second half started and Dale lost 3 challenges in the centre circle. Then the ball came to O’Keefe who stroked it out of play. Then the ball found Abraham Jeriel Dorsett who tested the crowd and Lynch‘s nerves with a moderately dodgy back-pass. It was going to be a long half.
Throw-ins are really bugging me now. They happen a lot and Dale rarely keep the ball from their own, or nick it from the opposition’s. I feel they can’t be bothered with throw-ins. That goes for the club as a whole, on and off the field, as ball-boys have got steadily smaller and now seem to have disappeared altogether.
On came Mr Odoh and Liam Kelly. Abraham Odoh is either brilliant or dreadful in his subtitute performances, on a strictly alternating basis. He must come on as sub. against Northampton. On ticked the clock, and the Dale Omega Variant Virus began to spread further around the team. Once it reaches the captain, as it often eventually does, things really kick off. Misplaced lumps up field, short passes to the opposition, and then a row with ref. and a booking.
15 minutes to go and Mr Charman arrives like Blutcher at Waterloo. We hope. Still no change and Vale look more likely to score. But for all their assurance, it’s still only 1- 0 and Dale are finally trying to pile forward, though rarely getting past the half way line. It’s a form of torture.
I remain confident. I have apologised to the one true God re the Hussey business, and enlisted various dead relatives to harass the opposition and galvanise the lads. The longer we have to wait for the goal the more delicious it will be. After 93 minutes it comes. Finally, Dale overload the Vale defence and Mr Ball does that simple, but difficult, thing well. Two minutes to go and Dale play it out for the draw. I don’t blame them.
Dale had some luck right at the end. Not the goal which was hard fought for, and well taken. Rather Mr O’Keefe, whose reckless, frustrated, retribution challenge earned only a yellow from the ref. They say it’s the mark of a good side to play badly and still win. To play like Dale did and still draw must be telling us something. |
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Reply | Rochdale 3 - 3 Harrogate Town - Player Ratings and Reports
at 21:18 16 Feb 2022
Rochdale 3 Harrogate Town 3
It ended all even at Spotland as the Co-op took on the Spa. Dale manager Robbie Stockdale would probably have rather been in the supermarket stock room checking barcodes than watching parts of this rocky horror show but will be pleased with his team’s resilience. It was certainly frustrating that Harrogate using 12 players, one of them dressed in blue. Dale players took turns to make up the extra man who specialised in lethal passes to the opposition in bear pit locations. This played to Harrogate’s strength which is ‘no fear ‘charges at their opponent’s heart.
Having said that, Dale’s new recruits and formation finally began to click, moving the ball forward fluently enough to score three good goals and come back from 3-1 down.
Dale broke the habit of a season and went to 4 at the back with Pearson side-lined by his groin. Ugh. It immediately became apparent as to why 5 at the back can be a good idea. Jeriel Dorsett generally had a decent game but sent a weak right footed clearance out and Alex Pattison ran powerfully at a lop-sided Dale defence and finished with a strong shot into the fishing net. Dale began to mount composed attacks and were rewarded when Clark cut in and curled a fine snooker shot off both posts and in.
Dale looked promising for a second goal when calamity struck. Kelly had been playing well and putting in some excellent tackles that belied his slight frame when he was caught as last man against a Harrogate attack. He appeared to have the ball under control but an unknown wizard put a spell on him and forced him to fall over the ball before presenting it to Pattison who bizarrely set off early for home with it towards Harrogate. The necromancer in the away stand then forced Liam to foul Pattison who executed an exquisite pirouette dive to leave the ref in no doubt.
Dale came out for the second half looking for a goal and duly produced one after only a minute. Dale have become experts at surrendering possession from throw-ins and dispensed with formalities by feeding Harrogate in the middle of the park. Harrogate duly ran up the field and scored …3-1.
The crowd got a bit edgy at this point and began to moan and make unpleasant remarks about their own side. However, Dale stuck at it and brought on Mr Odoh. Mr Odoh had a poor late run out as sub at Oldham where he tried too hard and everything went astray. This time he was back to his electric best. He either ties the ball to his foot with his bootlaces or simply glues it in place. Only he knows. Harrogate certainly didn’t and Abraham began to run through them for fun. Good strong-arm work from Newby and a cunning pass from the busy Dooley set up a tap-in for Mr Odoh and the game was really on.
Thavon Campbell had been playing at centre forward for 4 or 5 hours at this point without really looking like scoring. Though to be fair, he has been at least 25 yards from the nearest team mate for most of this time, and had at least seen a couple of chances go by in the first half. But there’s something likeable about him…the way he sticks to his task even when things aren’t happening for him. Not to mention rugby tackles from very basic defenders. The arrival of Charman from the bench with 10 minutes to go changed everything. Suddenly Harrogate had two in the middle to worry about and couldn’t really cope. Thavon ran with the ball, got a break from a Charman tussle and lashed it in. 3-3. Game over. |
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