Dale coasted to a very easy victory against a poor Southend side who didn't have a shot on target till the last minute. All this despite the fact that Dale played practically the whole of the second half with just ten players following Dave Flitcroft's sending off.

Dale started the match with Clive Platt in the starting line up in place of Andy Morris, on a Spotland surface which suffered a torrential downpour minutes before kickoff. Last season the pitch would not have coped with that amount of rainfall. The pitch is not the only thing to have shown vast signs of improvements, as Dale controlled the match from start to finish.

Within seconds of the start, with Dale attacking the WMG stand, Dave Flitcroft found himself in the referee's notebook for the second successive Saturday following a rash challenge. Very soon after, Flitcroft did another over-the-top challenge and should really have been sent off for it. He was perhaps lucky to escape with just a stern talking to. If that challenge was to have taken later in the game, he would have been off without doubt.

Clive Platt was another one to go into the book as he threw himself into his full debut and he grabbed a goal to show for it. He was a real handful for the Southend defence who struggled to control his pace and size throughout the game. There were a few balls which were played over the top which proved tricky for the away side to deal with. The goal came when he played a one-two with Atkinson before firing the ball home to the obvious delight of himself and his new team mates who piled on him in celebration.

Dale went two nil up through Jason Peake when he had a shot. The Southend keeper Capleton could only parry the shot, but Peakey managed to fire the rebound home from a tight angle. Flitcroft almost made it three when he ran with the ball before launching a pile driver at the Southend net, but Capleton managed to save at the second attempt.

The second half began and saw the incident which could have proved to be a turning point in the match. Flitcroft launched himself into another late challenge, which left the Southend player reeling in agony along the floor just in front of the dugouts. The ref had no choice but to have sent him off, especially considering the warning he gave him after two minutes. As a result of this, Graham Lancashire was substituted for Gary Jones to retain the balance in the midfield. Lanky seemed less than impressed with this as he went straight down the tunnel. Surely he must have realised that it was for the good of the team, and not as a result of the way he was playing.

Southend brought on two big subs, but the expected onslaught never came from the Essex side. Dale continued to be in complete control. Southend never came close to scoring. Furthermore, Southend never came close to having a shot till the 89th minute.

Dale sat back and controlled the match. This isn't sitting back like we did last season, where we invited the opposition to attack, Dale never looked in trouble despite the away side getting a number of corners. In fact, Dale looked the more likely to score when they broke away. Peakey came close to scoring when he raced into the Southend half. With Gary Jones in space to his left, Peake chose to have a go himself from outside of the box, and again Capleton managed to secure the ball at the second attempt.

Southend tried stepping up the pressure in the last ten minutes, but every opportunity was spoiled by some resolute defending from all of the Dale players. One corner in the last minute met the head of Morley but his header was tipped over spectacularly by Neil Edwards who got his gloves dirty for the first time.

The final whistle went and Dale left the pitch to a standing ovation from the fans who had got behind the team more than Tuesday at the request of the manager. The WMG stand were the noisiest they had been ever. It was good to hear Dale getting cheered on throughout from both ends, and the players certainly felt so to.

So a welcome three points which keeps Dale equal second in the table with a maximum points total so far. Flitcroft must learn to curb his challenges or he will find himself missing a lot of games through suspension. He should have gone after within the opening minutes, which would have given Dale an absolute mountain to climb. In hindsight, it would have perhaps been wiser to take him off at half time, but as they say hindsight is a wonderful thing. Gary Jones made a more than adequate replacement and had his best game for the club when he came on.

Overall however, a very satisfactory win, and there were smiles aplenty at the final whistle, and all the troubles of last season are long forgotten. Graham who?

Dale: Edwards, Evans, Stokes, Bayliss, Hill, Ford, Flitcroft, Peake, Atkinson, Lancashire (Jones), Platt
my man of the match: Graeme Atkinson

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