Saturday 10th October - Coca Cola League Two
Venue - Spotland
Dale saw off Barnet in a well deserved 2-1 victory thanks to a goal from Chris Dagnall and a penalty from Tom Kennedy, putting Keith Hill's side 4th in the League Two table.
Keith Hill named the same side that started in the defeat at Burton Albion last Sunday for the game against Barnet. This meant Kenny Arthur was in goal, with Scott Wiseman, Nathan Stanton, Craig Dawson and Tom Kennedy making up the back four. Gary Jones and Jason Kennedy were in midfield, whilst Will Buckley and Simon Whaley started on the wings. Chris O'Grady and Chris Dagnall started up top for Dale.
Following the poor start away at Burton last weekend, Keith Hill will have hoped his side got out of the traps a little quicker this time around. The opening ten minutes saw very little by way of goalmouth action with both sides trying to find their feet in the game.
However, as the clock showed 11 minutes had been played, Chris Dagnall produced a moment of individual brilliance to score his 7th goal of the season. He picked up the ball just inside the Barnet half and drove at The Bees' defence. With Chris O'Grady taking away Kenny Gillet, Dagnall was up against former Republic of Ireland centre-half Gary Breen. The Barnet number 6 was caught square and Dale's leading scorer took advantage of that by driving past the 35-year old and placing a right-foot shot past Jake Cole into the far corner, giving Dale an early lead.
The last time Dale scored first at Spotland, in the 4-1 win over Hereford, The Bulls equalised almost instantly. The Dale fans inside Spotland will have hoped this didn't happen again, but Ian Hendon's side could have equalised just 4 minutes later. A corner was poorly cleared by Dale and after the ball had bobbled around the box it came out to Albert Adomah. He tried a trick and then a cheeky lob over Kenny Arthur, but the ball sailed over the bar and into the Sandy Lane end.
As Keith Hill said in his pre-match interview, Barnet are a side that like to play football and they showed that in the opening half an hour with some good, short, sharp passing. The two teams on the Spotland turf were of very similar ilk and it was Barnet who saw the most of the ball following Dale's opener. However, they couldn't create a clear opportunity.
It was Dagnall who had the next clear chance of the game when he faced up to Gary Breen again. The Dale number nine picked up Chris O'Grady's flick on and tried to go around the outside of Breen before poking the ball home. However, Breen did well to force Dagnall slightly wide and his shot went into the side netting, although a section of the Spotland crowd thought he had put the ball in the back of the net.
Dale were starting to see more of the ball, and Chris O'Grady had a few long range efforts on the Barnet goal. His first was easily saved by Jake Cole, but it was his second that caused more of a threat, with Cole left helpless between the sticks as the ball sailed just wide of his right hand post.
With ten minutes remaining in the first-half, Dale really started to play the better football and create the chances. Chris Dagnall did superbly to win the ball in the corner and lay-off Chris O'Grady. He played the ball into the path of Will Buckley who surely would have tucked the ball home but for a last ditch block by Gary Breen. Buckley had another opportunity just moments later but blazed his shot over after Simon Whaley and Gary Jones had got in each other's way, much to the Dale captain's dismay.
The game was turning into the Chris Dagnall show and he was at the heart of another Dale move when he set up Whaley for a shot on goal. The on-loan winger's shot took a deflection that looked destined for the net but for a fine save from Jake Cole in the Barnet goal.
With little over a minute remaining, Barnet had a rare opportunity to equalise. Micah Hyde played in veteran striker Paul Furlong from the right and he turned and attempted to poke the ball home. However, Dale's Kenny Arthur made a superb reflex save to keep his shot out, before the ball was well cleared after a superb block from Scott Wiseman.
As the fourth official indicated there would be two minutes of added time, Dale won a penalty. Will Buckley's run into the box was sharply ended by Gary Breen as he forced the youngster to the ground. Tom Kenny stepped up on his 100th League appearance in Dale colours to fire the ball into the bottom right of Jake Cole's goal, doubling Dale's lead just before half-time.
The half ended at 2-0 to Dale, and it was a half that was run by Chris Dagnall who put in a superb shift, leading Dale's charges.
There was a kit change at half-time - for the officials. They swapped their blue shirts for the traditional black and referee Mr CH Webster signalled Dale to get the second half underway.
Dale were looking to continue with the way they ended the first half into the second, and it was Chris O'Grady who had the first chance of the half. Chris Dagnall continued his fantastic work rate as he won the ball in the corner, before Tom Kennedy whipped in a cross which O'Grady couldn't quite turn home with his head. Simon Whaley then had an effort from a free0kick which was well saved by Cole in the Barnet goal.
It was then Barnet's turn to trouble from a free-kick. Substitute Albert Jarrett's first touch came when he curled a ball into the box from the right-flank. The ball swung in and evaded all bodies before coming back off the post, producing a sigh of relief around Spotland.
With just over an hour gone, Dale captain Gary Jones forced a fine save from Barnet 'keeper Jake Cole. Chris O'Grady did well on the left with tricky footwork before he crossed to Chris Dagnall. Daggers laid the ball off to Jones whose low right-foot shot was well saved to his right by Cole.
However, whatever Cole can do, Kenny Arthur can do better. Veteran Paul Furlong sweetly volleyed Yannick Bolasie's cross from six yards out towards the Dale goal, but Arthur swiftly manoeuvred his hands to block the shot and keep his clean sheet in tact.
Joe Thompson came on for Will Buckley with 20 minutes remaining after Buckley had picked up a slight knock just a few minutes earlier.
Dale were well in control of the game as the clock ticked down and Chris O'Grady had a decent effort after Chris Dagnall had laid him off. Unfortunately for Dale's on loan striker the ball bobbled as he was about to strike the ball, meaning he sent his shot flying into the Sandy Lane end.
With little under 15 minutes to go Matt Flynn replaced Scott Wiseman who also looked to have picked up a slight knock.
Barnet had to throw men forward if they were to take anything away from Spotland, and this mentality saw Gary Breen upfront at one stage. They had a few opportunities in the last ten minute. Ismail Yakubu volleyed over from a corner and Albert Jarrett had a free-kick deflected over the bar.
Their late pressure told in the end though, in spectacular circumstances. Yannick Bolasie's corner to the near post was wonderfully turned home on the volley by Jake Hyde. He managed to curl the ball over Kenny Arthur and into the top corner whilst facing away from goal, receiving applause from all sides of Spotland.
Then came a moment that could have seen the away side reduced to 10 men. Chris O'Grady chased down a ball from Simon Whaley, as did the Barnet goalkeeper Jake Cole. He looked to have handled the ball outside his area, but the referee produced a yellow card instead of a red. However, it could have been for a foul on O'Grady who was sent tumbling by the goalkeeper.
Paul Furlong had an opportunity in the last minute of normal time to equalise, but under good pressure from Matt Flynn his header went well wide and well over Kenny Arthur's crossbar.
There was four minutes of added time signalled by fourth official Mr P Bankes, which Dale saw out comfortably, picking up a fourth straight home win and wiping out memories of the defeat to Burton last Sunday.
Dale: Arthur, Wiseman, Stanton, Dawson, T Kennedy, Jones, J Kennedy, Buckley, Whaley, O'Grady, Dagnall.
Barnet: Cole, Devera, Gillet, Hughes, Yakubu, Breen, Adomah, O'Flynn, Hyde, Bolasie, Furlong.
Referee: Mr CH Webster. Assistant Referees: Mr SM Stockbridge & Mr AJ Scregg. 4th Official: Mr P Bankes.
Attendance: 2,648
