Match Report: Chesterfield 3 Dale 4
Thursday, 17th Jan 2008 22:09

It's took us 24 hours to calm down and get everything which happened in the game written down, hence the report not online till now. But being fair, you've not calmed down either.

Rochdale's immense away form continued in fine style with a quite magnificent win at Saltergate at Keith Hill's men left the ground having won 4-3. This win takes Dale up to 9th with a game in hand which if we win, touch wood, could see us up in the dizzy heights of the playoffs. The game had absolutely everything, great goals, unlikely hattrick heroes, great saves, poor decisions, missed chances and mad celebrations. I've said it a few times but I'll say it again, it's games like that, that make all the rubbish defeats seem worth it!

For reasons unknown to us yet, there was no sign of Rene Howe in the squad and Dale went with Russell in net, a back four of Ramsden, Kennedy, Stanton and McArdle, a midfield four of Higginbotham, Perkins, Doolan and Jones with Murray returing from suspension to partner Le Fondre. Rundle returned to the bench after injuring himself in his sleep to accompany Spencer, Holness, Thompson and Muirhead.

To be honest, Dale started the game awfully and took ages to even get into the game with Chesterfield already looking like the best side we'd faced this season and looking like they could score whenever they wanted to shift gears.

Despite a few nervy moments, Dale came through the opening exchanges and began to get into the game and with 20 minutes gone, took the lead against the run of play and through a very unlikely source. Higgy, Doolan and Kennedy liked up well and the ball found it's way to David Perkins who took it wide before blasting the ball past Roche into the far corner for his first league goal for the club.

Dale dominated the rest of the half and could have added a couple more had it not been for the referee pulling back a foul when Higgy was clean through and when a Gary Jones cross missed the advancing Murray by about an inch.

That said, when the home side broke, they looked dangerous and the back four had to be in top form to keep them out and they were exactly that with McArdle looking in superb form.

About 5 minutes before half time and Dale were 2-0 up. Perkins and Higgy had swapped wings and Perkins chased down a seemingly lost cause near the corner flag, somehow won it against the left back, skinned him, cut into the box and smashed it into the bottom corner to make it 2-0! A fantastic goal from Perks in what we thought must be his third shot of the season!

A great way to finish the half but we all knew we had to start the second half much better than we did the first otherwise the lead wouldn't last.

We were right because Dale were again slow out of the blocks and Chesterfield came out all guns blazing and piled on the pressure from the whistle. Within 3 minutes of the restart it was 1-0. Nobody picked up Downes in the box from a corner and he was left with a free header leaving Russell with no chance whatsoever.

Could we hold on? Nope!

Ten minutes later it was 2-2 when Steve Fletcher picked up the ball in the box and shot but his shot was covered by Russell until it took a massive deflection to take it into the back of the net.

While people around me had given up hope of getting even a point from the game, I thought it had a Rotherham away style feel to it and I wasn't wrong!

Dale should have gone 3-2 up when Le Fondre latched onto a long ball over the top, took it past the keeper and squared it for Murray but as he was about to give Rochdale the lead back, it bobbled and went beyond him!

Ben Muirhead came on for Le Fondre who had run himself into the ground with a fabulous work rate and Muirhead's introduction added more pace to our attack but we couldn't quite capitalise on it.

Sam Russell was called into action to make a fantastic save in what was an end to end game which either team could win.

Adam Rundle replaced the tiring John Doolan on 83 minutes to give us a bit more width and he almost created a potential winning goal as he put a brilliant ball into the box which the keeper managed to push clear, the danger wasn't over though and Jones retrieved the ball, laid it off to Perkins who took a touch to put the ball onto his left before smashing it through the legs of the defender and past the keeper for the most unlikeliest of hattricks you're ever gonna see! Awesome celebrations in the away end when you consider that there was only about 4 minutes left!

Dale seemingly wrapped things up just two minutes later when Glenn Murray picked the ball up just inside the Chesterfield half, skinned their centre back with ease, then took it past the keeper before slotting it home to make it 4-2 to the Dale and send the fans piling forward to the front of the stand! A fantastic individual goal which had surely wrapped things up.

Or had it!?

Chesterfield made it 4-3 in stoppage time when Rooney got on the end of a corner and Russell did his best but could only push the ball onto the underside of the crossbar and it found it's way in.

Even after that, the home side nearly got a point when another head was all but in until Muirhead headed the ball off the line as Dale hearts were in mouths!

Somehow, we held on and the whistle blew for full time! I for one was exhausted! A quite magnificent game of football with an even better outcome!

Bring on the Bradford!

Player Ratings:

Sam Russell - 7

Simon Ramsden - 7

Tom Kennedy - 7

Nathan Stanton - 7

Rory McArdle - 10

Kallum Higginbotham - 8

David Perkins - 10

John Doolan - 6

Gary Jones - 8