Jimmy McNulty says Dale were excellent in the 4-1 win over Sutton United on Saturday.
A brace from Devante Rodney, plus goals from Ethan Brierley and Jimmy Keohane, sealed an emphatic win in our final home game of the season.
“It’s not always an easy task when facing any Football League team that’s down to ten men,” said the Interim Manager.
“First and foremost, I thought we were excellent against 11 men. We started the game with a real purpose and were very penetrative.
“We found the right combinations between keeping the ball and hurting them, and I think we were really hurting and really stretching them.
“We were finding vulnerabilities, which I was really pleased with, and we were creating chances, so up until that point in the game it was a really good combination of good moments that got us the lead and put them under stress, which then created the situation whereby they got a player sent off.
“I think you can’t underestimate how difficult it is, like I said earlier, playing against ten men in the football league.
“If we had just played direct football into the ten men that were behind the ball at that point, I think the numbers would have counted for nothing, so I think it was important that we were efficient with where our excellent players were, move the ball, hurt at the right times, and I think the players did really well with that.
“I think the fact that we truly nullified them, I don’t think it can be underestimated how good a performance that was.”
Dale’s relegation from the EFL was sealed last weekend, but McNulty insists there is pride to play every time the players step out on to the pitch and was pleased with the response of the squad.
“It was pleasing. As I’ve said all along, I’m always about the next moment and the next match, and try to play the next game in the best way we possibly can, treat the game in isolation, and we did that today.
“I was wary of the hangover from getting relegated – I’m know that’s still hanging over the club – it’s the first time we’ve exited the Football League, but the game in itself I think we were excellent and we totally took the game away from Sutton and we were ruthless with it. “We used the ball really well and gave them no real opportunity to have a sniff in the game which was pleasing, because we could have done that.
“You can make errors and you can do that, so I’m really pleased with how the game went and it finishes our personal home record with me as the manager with two wins, a draw and a loss, and that’s very pleasing.
“People keep telling me that we’ve lost the most home games in the football league in the last five years and that’s a stat that I’m very aware of.”
Watch the full interview with McNulty below via our official YouTube channel.