Rochdale put five past Bolton Wanderers in the Central League Cup on Tuesday afternoon, as Dale recorded an emphatic 5-0 win at the Crown Oil Arena.
January signing Luke Charman netted a hat-trick in his first outing for the club, while Jordan Scanlon and Max Taylor rounded off the scoring in a dominant display.
Scanlon was joined in the starting eleven by fellow youth team players Max Sutton, Kacper Mialkowski and Anisio Jesus, while youngster Ethan Brierley captained the side. Jay Lynch, Max Taylor, Jimmy McNulty, Danny Cashman and Sam Graham completed the line-up.
Dale had the ball in the back of the net after just four minutes, but Jordan Scanlon was flagged for offside after he’d nodded home from Charman’s flick on.
In a lively opening, Brierley then struck over from 20-yards from Anisio Jesus’ low ball across the face of goal, before Charman fired a volley over from the edge of the area.
At the other end, Arran Pettifer saw a low drive from 20 yards creep just wide.
Bolton had a couple of opportunities blocked as Rochdale defended resolutely, and Dale began to turn the screw after the half hour mark.
Graham turned a corner narrowly wide and into the side netting, while Cashman put Brierley’s low ball in from the right over the bar rom close range.
Charman then netted twice in as many minutes to put Rochdale ahead.
On his first action in a Dale shirt, the striker, who joined Dale for an undisclosed fee from Darlington last week, coolly prodded home Jesus' low cross from the right.
He then doubled Rochdale’s lead two minutes later. His initial shot was kept out by Luke Hutchinson, but he made no mistake as he stretched to poke beyond the ‘keeper on the rebound.
It was all Dale as the half continued.
Charman brought down a ball forward and found Scanlon, who fired past the far post. Charman then picked the ball up and drove forward, before he also struck narrowly wide of the upright.
Cashman, five minutes before the break, hit wide from 20-yards before seeing a shot well held on the stroke of half-time after latching onto a ball out on the left and cutting inside.
Bolton’s Mitchell Henry had the first opportunity of the second half but it was held by Jay Lynch in the Rochdale goal, and the game continued in the same manner as it had the first, dominated by Dale.
Ten minutes after the restart Charman had he ball in the back of the net but was flagged for offside. He had been slid in by Cashman and found the far bottom corner, but it didn’t count.
Rochdale’s third of the afternoon followed sixty seconds later. Charman turned on the halfway line and picked out Scanlon with a great pass over the top and the youth team scholar showed great composure while under pressure to strike beyond Hutchinson, with his effort taking a slight deflection on its way into the back of the net.
Charman completed his hat trick on the hour. Scanlon got away down the right and played a low ball to the back post where Charman took a touch before firing past the outrushing goalkeeper to put Dale 4-0 up.
Rochdale continued in the ascendency and it was a matter of when and not if, that Dale would score again.
Brierley saw a well-struck effort from 25-yards fly narrowly wide of the far post, before Charman tried his luck from distance, with his shot blocked behind for a corner.
The forward then produced a save from Hutchinson, with the ‘keeper parrying his shot from Cashman’s lay-off wide of the target.
Taylor made it five with 66 minutes on the clock. After Graham’s flick from Brierley’s corner was denied on the line, the Dale defender swept home from six-yards.
Soon after extending their lead further, Rochdale were in again. Scanlon won the ball on the halfway line and broke forward, but had his shot well saved.
A double Dale change followed on 70 minutes, as McNulty and Taylor made way for Kyffin and Watts.
And still it was all Rochdale. Brierley had a shot blocked behind for a Dale corner, while Kyffin’s poke was held by the ‘keeper, after he’d latched on Graham’s header from Brierley’s corner which had fallen for him.
As Bolton had a rare sight on goal, Lynch produced a good save, diving to his right to turn Ronan Darcy's low effort behind for a corner.
Rochdale’s third and final substitution followed a short time later, with hat-trick hero Charman replaced by Mikey Caldwell.
Dale remained in control for the remainder of the game.
Rochdale XI | Lynch, Sutton, Taylor (Watts 70), McNulty (Kyffin 70), Mialkowski, Brierley, Cashman, Scanlon, Graham, Jesus, Charman (Caldwell 76). Subs | Wade