Venue: Sixfields Stadium
19th September 2009 - Kick Off 3pm
Dale came away from Sixfields with three points after a wonder goal from Will Buckley gave Dale a 2-1 win over Northampton.
Dale boss Keith Hill named an unchanged side from the one that comfortably saw off Torquay last Saturday, meaning Chris Dagnall and Chris O'Grady passed late fitness tests to start up front. Kenny Arthur was in goal, with Scott Wiseman, Nathan Stanton, Craig Dawson and Tom Kennedy lining up along the back four. Jason Kennedy and Gary Jones partnered each other in midfield, with Joe Thompson and Will Buckley operating the wings. The Chris couplet were looking to continue their impressive partnership up front for Dale and new signing Simon Whalley was named amongst the substitutes.
Northampton were heavily defeated last time out 5-2 by Notts County, which was Ian Sampson's first game in charge as caretaker boss of the Cobblers. As a result there may have been some pessimists amongst the Dale faithful who were expecting a backlash from the home side, but it was Dale who had the better of the ball in the opening five minutes. Chris Dagnall had a free header in the area after a superb Scott Wiseman cross, but in what looked like a moment of unselfishness, he decided to look for his striker partner Chris O'Grady instead of going for goal.
With little over ten minutes played, even the neutral could have been forgiven for thinking there was only one team in the game, as Dale passed the ball around beautifully, working space for themselves, leaving the home side chasing shadows. However, with Dale failing to take advantage of their possession, the Cobblers forced some pressure onto Dale through their forward pairing of Ben Marshall and Adebayo Akinfenwa.
With 17 minutes played, Dale won a fortuitous corner when Northampton captain Craig Hinton sliced the ball backwards and out of play. After a bit of confusion in the area, the ball came out to captain Gary Jones, but his shot went over Simon Brown's bar.
However, in the 19th minute, Brown's net was rippled as Dale took the lead. Neat play again from Dale led to Will Buckley picking the ball up on the left and beating his man with ease, before playing a great ball into the box for Chris O'Grady to sweep home, netting his first goal in Dale colours.
Dale's impressive passing football continued after the goal, which Northampton were struggling to deal with. However, when the home side were in possession of the ball they appeared to have settled down slightly and were stringing a few passes together in the Dale half, but without much of a final product.
It was Dale who had the next two good opportunities of the half. Will Buckley twisted and turned down the left before releasing a left-foot shot, but it was well saved at the near post by Simon Brown. Chris O'Grady, eager to double his tally, cut inside from the right and hit a shot from a tight angle that was well saved again by Brown.
As half-time approached, a hopeful ball forward from Chris O'Grady found its way through into the path of Chris Dagnall who was onside, but just out of his reach as Simon Brown cleared. However, the clearance only went as far as O'Grady, who looked to lift the ball over Brown and into the net, but his right-foot effort went high and wide.
As the fourth official's board was being displayed showing two minutes of added time Northampton won a free-kick and Dean Beckwith planted a header straight into the arms of Kenny Arthur. That was the last meaningful action of the first half, one which was dominated by Dale and ended with the home side coming off to boos from their supporters.
Dale will have been hoping to force the same sort of pressure in the second 45 minutes as they did in the first half, and Gary Jones almost produced a wonder strike, but his half volley from distance flew wide of Simon Brown's goal.
However, it was the Cobblers who had the better of the opening exchanges, forcing several corners, one of which caused panic in the Dale box. The ball bobbled around the six yard box with everyone uncertain of where the ball actually was, before it came out to Abdul Osman, but his left foot shot was sliced horribly wide of Kenny Arthur's post.
It was Dale's turn next to cause panic amongst Northampton's defence, from another corner. Tom Kennedy sent in an out-swinger which evaded everybody except Chris O'Grady at the back post and he put his shot into the floor, but unfortunately for Dale the ball bounced narrowly over Simon Brown's crossbar.
Will Buckley again caused havoc amongst the Northampton defence, as he beat their right side with ease before hitting a tame shot straight at Simon Brown at the near post. However, Brown couldn't grab the ball at the first attempt and it ricocheted off the post and fortuitously for the home side back into his arms.
Dale's Jason Kennedy, who had impressed again in the middle of the park, turned brick wall with almost an hour gone, when he did well to block two efforts from Northampton, including one with what looked like his face. Friday's loan signing from Norwich Simon Whalley came on with just over an hour gone for Joe Thompson.
Then came a blow to Dale's chances of taking three points as Northampton equalised. A corner flew over everybody to the back post where Ryan Gilligan was waiting. After an exchange with Adebayo Akinfenwa, the Cobblers number 12 fired a low shot into the Dale goal, levelling the scores with 64 minutes played.
Dale almost had an instant chance to go ahead for a second time through Chris Dagnall. Dagnall broke free of the defence but came back on himself and laid off Gary Jones, whose left-foot shot was parried back out by Simon Brown to Dagnall, but after steadying himself, he put his shot wide of Brown's far post.
However, in the 68th minute, Dale did regain the lead through a spectacular goal from Will Buckley. Simon Whalley played a great ball into the path of Chris Dagnall, who slowed the play down and laid off Buckley. He took one or two touches to create space for himself before curling a beautiful right-footed shot past Simon Brown into the far corner.
With Dale having restored their lead, Northampton were looking to get straight back into the game. They had a decent opportunities and one good chance to level the scores again through substitute Luke Guttridge. A good ball through from fellow substitute Steve Guinan saw Guttridge hit the ball first time, but he slipped as he went to hit it and the ball flew high and wide of Kenny Arthur's goal.
The Cobblers had another good opportunity minutes later to equalise when Andy Holt fired a shot towards the Dale goal, but a superb block by Craig Dawson prevented it troubling Kenny Arthur. Gary Jones almost doubled Dale's lead after Chris O'Grady laid it off to him on the edge of the box, but his shot was well blocked by a combination of Northampton defenders.
The game really was becoming an end-to-end encounter as the game reached the last ten minutes. Dale's hearts were in their mouths when a Ben Marshall header at the back post was directed onto the underside of the bar before bouncing out and being headed to safety by Scott Wiseman. The ball came back in from the right but Andy Holt couldn't direct his header on goal as it flew wide of the Dale goal.
As the last five minutes approached, Northampton upped the pressure on Dale. However, there were only a few scares for Keith Hill's side to deal with. Shots from Akinfenwa and goal-scorer Gilligan flew well wide of the far post, as did a header from the aforementioned Akinfenwa.
Dale Stephens came on for Chris Dagnall with two minutes remaining as Dale looked to sure up the midfield and take the three points back to Spotland.
In the last minute of normal time Adebayo Akinfenwa had a decent opportunity to equalise for the home side, but he couldn't convert a right-wing cross by substitute Gary Mulligan as his shot flew over the bar.
Three minutes of stoppage time were added onto the end of the game but it took until the 2nd minute of these three for Northampton to force any kind of pressure on Dale, with Luke Guttridge firing a shot well wide of the far post.
This was to be the last action of the game as Dale saw out the final few minutes and in the process taking three points home with them back to Spotland.
It was another convincing display of football from Keith Hill's side as Northampton were, to coin a phrase, 'footballed to death' in the first half, and kept out superbly by the Dale defence in the second.
Dale: Arthur, Wiseman, Dawson, Stanton, T Kennedy, Jones, J Kennedy, Thompson, Buckley, O'Grady, Dagnall.
Northampton: Brown, Hinton, Beckwith, Marshall, Osman, Akinfenwa, Holt, Gilligan, Dyer, Curtis, Boden.
Referee: Mr D Sheldrake. Assistant Referees: Mr D Bushell & Mr D Margetts. Fourth Official: Mr S Shipps.
Attendance: 4,048 (308 Dale supporters).
