| Rochdale 1 - 1 Port Vale - Player Ratings and Reports 21:45 - Feb 22 with 823 views | RochdaleAFC.com |
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| Rochdale 1 - 1 Port Vale - Player Ratings and Reports on 16:53 - Feb 23 with 659 views | Edale |
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. | | | |
| Rochdale 1 - 1 Port Vale - Player Ratings and Reports on 21:21 - Feb 23 with 575 views | mikehunt |
Good read that 😀
However, I saw the O’Keefe challenge as purely to stop the player running clear. No frustration or anything like that. Just took one for the team. I agree it could have been red though. |  |
| The worm of time turns not for the cuckoo of circumstance. |
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