Two goals from Alex Academy graduate Matty Lund helped Rochdale to come back from 3 goals down at half-time against Crewe Alexandra at Spotland. Oli Finney (2) and Owen Dale gave the visitors a commanding lead with Stephen Humphrys getting the hosts’ opener.
Manager David Artell named the same side as Boxing Day’s 1-1 draw against Fleetwood Town with first-year pros Tyreece Onyeka, Nathan Woodthorpe and Joe Robbins all making the bench following Daniel Powell, Tom Lowery and Olly Lancashire either injured or shielding following contact with people who have had Covid.
The opening chance and goal of the game came in the 6th minute with a move down the right involving Luke Murphy and Owen Dale allowed Travis Johnson to cross for Finney to volley in with his right-foot from just inside the area before the first Dale chance came with Matt Done having an effort saved by Will Jaaskelainen.
The lead was doubled midway through the half with the Alex getting in down the left with Charlie Kirk’s low cross touched on by Finney into the path of Dale to finish across the keeper before the third was added 10 minutes before the break, breaking away from a Rochdale set-piece, with Kirk finding Finney again for his second of the game.
The second-half was all about the hosts’ application – whether they were going to fight back or just collapse – and it was clear which it would be with Humphrys turning in a cross from close range after a minute as a corner was cleared back out to the Dale left. The lead was further reduced on the hour-mark with Lund curling the ball in from just outside the area after it was laid-off.
The referee gave the Alex a penalty on 65 minutes with a Harry Pickering corner that was headed by Omar Beckles against a Rochdale defender – the referee going over to the assistant before changing his mind. Lund would get his second with 6 minutes to play as a corner wasn’t dealt with by Jaaskelainen as the Northern Irishman smashing it in from close-range at the back post unmarked.
The next games for the Alex see us with a trip to Plymouth Argyle next Saturday while we host Bristol Rovers the following Tuesday evening.
What can we take out of this game?
It was the ultimate game of two halves. The first-half was such a great one, pressing high and winning the ball deep in the Rochdale half saw us get plenty of chances in the first 45 while the second-half saw the team look as though they already won the game easily with the intensity of the hosts much higher than it was in the first.
Spotland
League 1
9/01/2021 4:00 pm
Attendance: 0
Referee: Andy Haines
| Rochdale | Crewe Alexandra | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humprhys, Lund (2) | Finney (2), Dale | ||||||
| Bazunu | Jaaskelainen | ||||||
| Keohane | 79 | Johnson | |||||
| O'Connell | 37 | Offord | |||||
| Roberts | Beckles | ||||||
| Done | Pickering | ||||||
| Newby | 68 | Murphy | |||||
| Morley | Wintle | ||||||
| Lund | Finney | ||||||
| Rathbone | 79 | Dale | |||||
| Humphrys | Mandron | 87 | |||||
| Beesley | Kirk | ||||||
Substitutes |
|||||||
| Lynch | Richards | ||||||
| McLaughlin | 79 | Nolan | |||||
| McNulty | Porter | 87 | |||||
| McShane | 37 | Sass-Davies | |||||
| Dooley | 68 | Onyeka | |||||
| Baah | 79 | Woodthorpe | |||||
| Dunne | Robbins | ||||||
Game Statistics |
||
| 14 | Goal attempts | 16 |
| 6 | On Target | 9 |
| 7 | Corners | 3 |
| 12 | Fouls | 12 |
| 1 | Yellow Cards | 0 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 46 | % | 54 |