Cod Almighty | Match Stats

Saturday 17 October 2009

Division 4

Grimsby Town 0

Rochdale 2 Rundle (24), O'Grady (85)

Attendance: 3754

Bore's second half performance needs to be officially reflected in the minutes: he was excellent going forward. It may be unfashionable but you know it's right to go left. From start to last Master Bradley Wood and Jamal Shahin showed utterly tremendous application and endeavour with no little skill either. They were solid and persistent with resilience. If only their older and better paid colleagues would do the same...

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. What can we say, what can we do, it's all over now for he hasn't a clue what to do with himself. Poor old Adrian Forbes is doing a Rankin. What he was, he no longer is: he merely occupies a shirt, not even a useful space. His efforts were put to shame by the tweenagers, especially Shahin. All Forbes does now is stand and flap his arms like a distressed chicken.

"Bye, then!"

"I would have taken 1-0 but 2-0 is a great scoreline going into the last 10 minutes of any match. The second goal stopped any edginess in the final minutes."

Rochdale are a good team: confident and competent, they were simply superior. Them's the facts of life. It's not a reflection on us, but a recognition of them. Dagnall was a constant chippy thorn, while O'Grady kept prodding the centre-backs with his elbows and thighs. Rundle was as he always is against us -€“ excellent -€“ though he was helped by having Hinge and Bracket as his opponents. Jones was a Grovesian attacking midfielder constantly barracking beyond the strikers, though his fellow central baldycoot was a bit flimsy when pressed. Their defence was strong down the centre but frazzled down the sides, with Shahin and Bore frequently fizzing and whizzing at will. And there, my fine fellows, is the reason they may continue to successfully avoid promotion. Impressively efficient. Something to aspire to.

The people who walked away when Rochdale scored their second goal are pathetic, self-indulgent whiners. The rest recognised what they had seen and drowned out the stray boo-ers with some supportive noise. We know what we are seeing, but also know that application in adversity should be applauded. If that's the only thing there is, criticism of it is moronic. On the seasonal Sob-o-meter we're in the doldrums, waiting for a stiff wind to blow us ashore.

Mr J Moss (W Yorks)
For him consistency is something to do with custard. Indulgent of Daler rock and rolls, he took agin the younger Townites like a cowardly supply teacher. Bore was booked for throwing the ball down, while the cowboys were allowed to welly the ball away when Town were awarded free kicks. A small thing, like him, but important, unlike him. He was an occasional irritant with flashes of sense and sensibility: 5.754.

Forward to the future! Young people did well. Did the leaves just rustle?