Coca Cola League Two - 15th August 2009 - 3PM
Venue - Spotland
Keith Hill's men picked up their first three points of the season at home to Aldershot, despite playing 77 minutes of the game with just 10 men after Nathan Stanton saw red for a professional foul. Tom Kennedy converted a last minute penalty to make sure the Spotland crowd of 2,465 left with smiles on their faces.
Keith Hill made one change to the side that started at Hillsborough on Tuesday night. Thursday's loan signing from Macclesfield came into the side in place of Marcus Holness, who dropped to the bench. This meant Dale lined up with number one Kenny Arthur in goals, with Matt Flynn, Craig Dawson, Nathan Stanton and Tom Kennedy along the back. Gary Jones and Jason Kennedy continued their partnership in midfield, with Adam Rundle and Joe Thompson working the flanks. Chris Dagnall and Will Buckley started up top for the third consecutive game.
Dale were eager to get off to the best possible start in front of the Spotland crowd, and they almost did when a diagonal ball forward from Tom Kennedy was won in the air by Joe Thompson. His header found its way to Chris Dagnall whose knock down to Gary Jones was perfect for the Dale captain to hit on the half volley, which he did, but unfortunately for Dale his effort found its way over the crossbar.
The opening ten minutes passed without much event, as both sides tried to work the ball to force an opportunity, without creating much of note. However, Dale almost opened the scoring in the 9th minute. A Tom Kennedy cross from deep was contested for between Will Buckley and Shots 'keeper Jaimez-Ruiz, but as the ball fell the referee blew for a foul on the Aldershot goalkeeper.
The major turning point of the game came after 13 minutes. Nathan Stanton tried to run a long ball from Aldershot back to goalkeeper Kenny Arthur, but he was beaten to the ball by Shots striker Marvin Morgan. As Morgan looked to pull away from Stanton, the referee deemed the Dale centre back to have brought Morgan down. As Stanton was last man, the referee had no option once blowing for the foul but to send Nathan Stanton off, and reduce Dale to 10 men.
As Dale were preparing their substitution in response to the sending off, the free kick resulting from the red card was hit straight into the Dale wall, but back out to Ben Harding, whose half volley was well saved by Kenny Arthur.
Dale re-shuffled their side following the sending off by bringing on Marcus Holness for Adam Rundle, who was sacrificed. Holness slotted straight into the centre back position, whilst Will Buckley took up the left wing, leaving Chris Dagnall up top on his own.
Almost immediately after the substitution, Aldershot could have taken the lead. A cross in from the right by Louie Soares was won in the air by Marvin Morgan, who beat Kenny Arthur to ball after he came to punch. Fortunately for Dale the ball dropped wide of the unguarded goal.
With Dale obviously unsettled following the sending off, Aldershot had a couple of decent opportunities to break the deadlock. The first came when John Halls tried a curling effort from 25 yards. However, Kenny Arthur was equal to the shot as he made a flying save to his left, holding onto the ball for good measure. The away side again could have taken the lead when Marvin Morgan found himself down the left with his back to goal. He did well to turn Craig Dawson before firing a low ball across the face of the Dale goal. It only needed a touch form an Aldershot player, but it managed to evade everyone in the area except Dale's Tom Kennedy who cleared the ball from danger.
The red card obviously dampened the atmosphere inside Spotland, and forced Dale to operate more defensively with a man less. It was a surprise to most in the ground that Aldershot didn't push forward more to take the game to the home side, trying to catch them on the hop. They were happy to play the ball around, looking for the ball over the top to Morgan, who found himself the victim of Dale's offside trap on a number of occasions.
Dale settled down as the half wound down, and even carved out a few opportunities of their own. A free kick from the left taken by Jason Kennedy founds it way to Craig Dawson at the back post, but he couldn't keep his header on target. Then came what was the best chance of the match so far, for both teams. A clearance from Will Buckley was headed down by Adam Hinshelwood, and picked up on the halfway line by captain Gary Jones. His driving run at the Aldershot defence had them back-peddling at some pace, and the run of Chris Dagnall to his left and the ball into Dagnall were timed perfectly. Dagnall took the ball onto his left foot, but dragged his shot agonisingly wide of the far post.
That was to be the last action of an eventful first half at Spotland, and one that Dale did well to settle themselves after the sending off of Nathan Stanton.
Gary Waddock's side looked to take the game to Dale in the first five minutes of the second half, and could have taken the lead two minutes in. A ball in from the right by Soares found Marvin Morgan in the box, but his free header went wide of the near post. The Shots had another chance just two minutes later when Ben Harding cut out a poor ball from Tom Kennedy in the middle of the park. He played the ball forward, and Aldershot worked the ball well on the edge of the box, before the ball came out to Hudson, whose curling effort was too high and wide of Kenny Arthur's goal.
Dale started to get a foothold on the game with almost ten minutes gone. Will Buckley was Dale's main threat as he carved out a couple of opportunities for himself. Dale's number 30 made a superb run in from the right, beating four Aldershot defenders, before releasing his left foot shot straight into the arms of Shots 'keeper Jaimez-Ruiz.
Buckley's second chance in quick succession came when Gary Jones played a ball forward which was nodded down by Buckley to Chris Dagnall. Daggers played the ball back to Buckley, whose left footed shot was deflected over the bar and out for a corner. From the resulting corner Dale could have easily taken the lead. The ball was swung to Dawson at the back post, whose header dropped down directly in front of him. There was a tussle on the floor between him and a Shots defender, and as he tried to get the shot away, the ball found its way to Will Buckley whose shot was hit at the legs of Jaimez-Ruiz, who was more in the way of the ball than actually knowing anything about it.
With an hour on the clock Will Buckley had another chance to give Dale the lead. A superb Tom Kennedy free-kick found Buckley who was free in the area, but the ball was a little too high for the youngster, and he could only poke the ball up and over the Aldershot crossbar.
Kenny Arthur was called into action for the first time in the second half when he had to pull off a fine save to keep Aldershot at bay. A poor touch from debutant Matt Flynn was picked up by Hudson who was shadowed across the area by Flynn, before unleashing a right footed shot that had Arthur making a fine save low to his right to tip the ball around the post for a corner.
Scott Wiseman was brought on for Matt Flynn not long after, and Flynn received a great ovation from the Dale faithful after a strong and solid performance at right back.
With little more than fifteen minutes remaining Dale had a great chance, this time through Joe Thompson on the left hand side. A magnificent diagonal ball from Craig Dawson was superbly chested down by Thompson, before he hit the bal on the half volley with his right foot, but unfortunately for Dale his shot went wide of Jaimez-Ruiz's post.
With 13 minutes remaining Dale forced Mikhael Jaimez-Ruiz into action again. Chris Dagnall broke forward with the ball before playing it square to Gary Jones. He returned the ball to Dagnall who took the ball onto his right foot before firing at goal, forcing Jaimez-Ruiz to make a save low to his right to keep the score at 0-0.
With 10 minutes to go Aldershot brought on John Grant and went to two up top, and this almost paid off for them as the clock ticked down as they started to put the pressure on the home side. Kirk Hudson had a good chance to give them the lead, but his half volley was fired way over the crossbar. Then came Aldershot's best chance. A corner for the away side fell to Ben Harding whose shot was cleared off the line by Jason Kennedy.
There was a heart-in-the-mouth moment towards the end when Donnelly had a shot that was fumbled by Kenny Arthur, but he got up well to smother the ball.
And as the final whistle approached, Dale struck the jackpot. Chris Dagnall did superb to win the ball and make a charge at goal. He turned back on himself, and released a right foot shot, which hit Adam Hinshelwood on what the referee deemed to be his arm. Spotland erupted as the referee pointed to the spot for a Dale penalty. After the usual moans and groans from the side that conceded the penalty, Tom Kennedy stepped up to give Dale a dramatic late winner. He put his penalty to the right of Jaimez-Ruiz, and although he guessed the right way, the penalty was too good for the Aldershot goalkeeper.
That was to be the last meaningful action of the game, and what a way to end a pulsating match. Dale can be very pleased with themselves and their performance as they held off and dominated an Aldershot team which was happy to sit back and not pressure a ten man Dale side.
It was a case of what goes around comes around for Dale after the poor penalty award at Vale Park last week, as it was Dale who got the benefit of the doubt this time out.
Dale: Arthur, Flynn (Wiseman), Dawson, Stanton, T Kennedy, Jones, J Kennedy, Rundle (Holness), Thompson, Buckley, Dagnall.
Aldershot: Jaimez-Ruiz, Blackburn, Hinshelwood, Soares, Chalmers (Grant), Morgan, Halls, Donnelly, Hudson, Harding, Sandell.
Referee: Mr PN Gibbs. Assistant Referees: Mr AR Holmes, Mr T Harrington. 4th Official: Mr C Kavanagh.
Attendance: 2,465.
