Manager Brian Barry-Murphy reflects on his side’s 3-2 pre-season friendly win over Oldham Athletic at Boundary Park, which was played in memory of the late Ernie Cooksey…
“I thought it was a great initiative to have the game in memory of Ernie,” said BBM.
“It was a great occasion – both sets of fans were in good spirits and I thought it was great day for both clubs.
“I thought the game was played in the right manner, and that it was a good spectacle for a pre-season game. The local derby element of a pre-season friendly adds something different to what is a normal pre-season friendly game. It was very beneficial for ourselves and I’m sure it would have been for the opposition as well.
“I was pleased with the intensity of the game and the lads enjoyed the intensity it was played at. The test Oldham provided is something we’re going to have to get used to very, very quickly in the next few weeks.”
Rochdale opened up a two goal lead through Matty Done and Jimmy Keohane, before Ian Henderson won the match for Dale late on after the Latics had brought the game level.
“As an attacking unit, we feel as if we are fluid in all areas of the pitch. It’s something we’ve been working on it in Portugal and since we came back, so it’s nice to see those patterns of play coming to fruition and the test will be to progress to become even more potent as we progress into the season.
“There’s no disappointment on our part [with the goals conceded]. There’s a lot of stuff we’re aware that we have to work on and it’s a gradual process as we work towards start of the season.
“Some of our attacking play was quite explosive in the early parts of the game, while some of the other parts were well below the standards we hope to set or get to in the next few weeks. There’s a lot to work on but our work is ongoing on a daily basis.”