CocaCola Football League 2 (Barclarys Divison 4)
Rochdale vs Hereford.
Spotland Stadium - Saturday 2nd September 2006.
Picture the scene. You're the worst football team in the world (apart from bury) but you've just managed to get your first goal and point of the season. You're walking into a home game against Hereford having just sold the one class attacking player you had. But you know full well that Hereford are as capable of a shit performance as Spotland stewards are of acting like twats.
Welcome to Spotland. The scoreboard still isn't working, but hopefully Steven Parkin's team will improve on “fucking useless” and get something from a hot-and-cold Hereford team, and actually deserve to take something from the game.
I arrived with one eye on the fans forum organised for the Wednesday Night. With the steam still coming from my ears regarding the transfer of Rickie Lambert 1 hour before the transfer window closed, i was prepared for the worst.
So what did we get? Well we got something i never imagined i'd see, and no that wasn't the scoreboard working. Rochdale were actually pretty good! We dominated the game, we made chances, we missed chances but all along it felt great. Is this the same team who looked toothless in every other game this season? Is this the same team who've just flogged their best player? Yes it was almost the same team. Christie had gone back to the conference and Rickie (legend) Lambert had moved across – rather than up – to Bristol Rovers but we'd brought in the tallest man in the world, Morike Sako! Sako belongs in the “..he's got a good touch for a big man, Brian” group of players. Sako had an impressive debut, but i remember Christies debut at Oxford where he was good, so i'll reserve judgement for now.
We've also brought in the fastest man in the world, Keith Barker. Very impressive. Fast, has a lovely touch and can take care of himself. It looks promising for him. He's only on loan from Blackburn until the new year, but on this performance it needs extending.
Anyway, back to the game. We dominated and should have wrapped the game up well before the end but we never took the chances we made. Then the most inevitable thing happened. James Sharp – another debutante, and another decent performance – flew into a tackle on a wet pitch. He missed the ball but also missed the player. The problem is the player decided to fall over, the referee decided to give a penalty and for once this season, Matthew Gilks couldn't save it, 0-1. All this in the 90th minute. Was someone, somewhere taking the piss out of us? We dominate a game, but one spazzed up decision costs us all three points! We may have stolen a point at Accrington but this was just taking the piss. Was there any embarrassment in the celebrations of a Hereford players and on their dugout? Probably.
So Rochdale had been robbed. BUT THEN in the 96th minute, cue a worse penalty decision. We were awarded a penalty for nothing more than a kabaddi touch. Even a french referee wouldn't have given it, although the foul was on Frenchman, Sako. Gary Jones – who'd come on as sub – converted (1-1) and the full time whistle went. A score draw!
Let's not piss about here. We totally battered them, but we finished nothing. They got a shitty penalty, and the Pearl Street Stand let the referee know it was a shitty decision. They score. We go up the other end, create and miss another great chance. Then in the 96th minute we get a joke of a penalty, score and take a point from a game we more than deserved to win, but very nearly lost.
So we didn't get three points. But we took so much more from the game. We played well and after a very shitty week there was a flash of hope. Great timing for Parkin too, the fans forum on Wednesday might not be so heated. For sure theres some big questions need answering though.
Final Score: Rochdale 1. Hereford 1.
A special note needs to go to the Spotland pitch. Rightfully criticised last season, it pissed it down all Saturday and the pitch remained very playable throughout. Well done to the groundsmen.