Rochdale began their pre-season friendly fixtures with a 2-1 win over AFC Fylde at Kellamergh Park. Goals for Callum Camps and Scott Tanser were enough to see Dale victorious in a fairly even affair with the hosts getting their goal late on in the second half.
Keith Hill selected quite a youthful side with Jonathan Diba Musangu in goal, a back five of Joe Rafferty, Rhys Bennett, Sean McGinty, Ashley Eastham and Scott Tanser. In midfield were Bastien Hery, Andy Cannon, Jamie Allen and trialist Cameron Park, with Callum Camps playing up front. On the bench for Dale were Billy Hassler-Clegg, Nyal Bell, Kissimba Kissimba, Matty Done, Scott Hogan, Joe Bunney and Steve Collis.
Dale pressed the Fylde players early in the game and this led to an early half chance when a Fylde defender was forced into a weak back pass by Bastien Hery and Callum Camps nearly beat the goalkeeper in the race for the ball.
Bastien Hery then had the first real shot of the game on ten minutes after receiving the ball from a free kick but his low shot to the goalkeeper’s right was easily saved.
The home team then moved on to the front foot after an even opening and a Fylde shot from 25 yards out went narrowly wide of Johnny Diba's right post.
It was the hosts who had the next chance too, with Johnny Diba pulling off a great point blank save after Fylde managed to get into the Dale box from the left hand side but the ball was eventually cleared.
Shortly after a cross came into the Dale penalty area from the right was scrambled clear to Joe Rafferty who had a pot shot on goal from ten yards inside his own half but it wasn’t quite accurate enough and the ball bounced a yard or two wide of Cameron Belford’s right post.
In the twenty third minute Dale keeper Johnny Diba received a yellow card from the referee who saved a stray shot with his hands a couple of yards outside his area. Fortunately the referee saw fit to show leniency in this friendly match. The resulting free kick was hit straight into the Dale wall and cleared, but the ball was soon back on the edge of the Dale area and another 25 yard strike went narrowly wide of the right post.
Around the half hour mark Dale started to get a bit more of a grip on the game and Jamie Allen forced the Fylde defence to concede a corner. Cameron Park delivered the ball into the middle of the box from the left but a free volley from Sean McGinty went well over the Fylde goal.
The first goal of the afternoon came on thirty four minutes after some good build up play. Rhys Bennett brought the ball forward before passing to Andy Cannon outside the Fylde box. His pass found Jamie Allen who’s first time pass found Callum Camps in the box who lashed the ball into the roof of the net giving the goalkeeper no chance.
The rest of the half saw half chances for both sides with a Fylde corner being cleared by Andy Cannon before shots from trialist Park and Bastien Hery going close but not enough to worry the Fylde keeper.
Half time: Fylde 0-1 Rochdale
The second half started with no changes to the Dale line up and the first few minutes saw little notable action apart from a Fylde corner that came to nothing.
The first shot of the second half was a cross-come-shot from Scott Tanser who had worked his way down the left wing but his effort was palmed away by the keeper.
On sixty one minutes Keith Hill decided to make three changes. Andy Cannon, Callum Camps and Sean McGinty were replaced by Matty Done, Scott Hogan and Joe Bunney. These changes brought about a bit of a change in the game and Dale started to dominate a bit more.
The hosts had another corner but a header at the back post landed safely in the arms of Johnny Diba. Dale then started to turn the screw and a cross from Matt Done on the left was only just over the head of Joe Bunney who had made a run to the far post.
The pressure soon paid off for Dale though after Joe Bunney won Dale a corner on the left hand side. The corner was delivered by park and Scott Tanser finished with a fine shot in the middle of the box to put Dale into a two goal lead.
Shortly afterwards Scott Hogan nearly managed to play Joe Bunney through after picking the ball up on the half way line and bustling through two or three challenges but a fine interception by a Fylde defender just cut the ball out.
After seventy nine minutes Keith Hill made another three changes with Bastien Hery, Cameron Park and Jamie Allen being replaced by Billy Hassler-Clegg, Nyal Bell and Kissimba Kissimba.
Two minutes later AFC Fylde could have pulled a goal back from a corner. A powerful header from the corner crashed down onto the line from the crossbar but fortunately for the Dale the ball didn’t cross over the line.
On eighty six minutes however Fylde did manage to get on the score sheet. Johnny Diba had managed to punch a cross out for a corner but he couldn’t do anything about the goal moments later after the ball was stabbed into the Dale net when the corner wasn’t cleared.
The last effort of note in the game came in the eighty ninth minute but Scott Hogan curled the ball just wide of the post from the left hand side of the area.
The match ended AFC Fylde 1-2 Rochdale, a pretty fair reflection on the game.