Dale Defence Exposed Again

Reporter: Jan Harwood
Date online: 19/12/2005

Rochdale 2 - 4 Leyton Orient

Rochdale proved once again that their ever-changing back-line is not up to the task of competing with its rivals at the top end of league two. Their strike force is certainly able; scoring two goals against a well drilled Leyton Orient defence without goal-machine Grant Holt proved that it is not going to be their ‘goals for’ column that prevents them from accessing the heights of League One football but at present their defenders are seemingly doing all they can to cancel out whatever happens at the other end. Two embarrassingly simple goals contributed to Rochdale’s third straight defeat against a Leyton Orient side that had no difficulty in maintaining an unbeaten away record.

One thing Dale fans cannot complain about is a lack of entertainment, seventy-nine goals have been scored in their twenty-two league games thus far and this game was typically high on the entertainment scale but as far as enjoyment goes, for the home fans, it was in negative figures. Orient were the best side to appear at Spotland so far this season; they took the lead twice and they knew exactly how to keep it, by continuing to go for goals against an abject defence. All of that was achieved with relative ease despite the sending off of Shane Tudor just before half-time.

The last game before Christmas and Rochdale had their gifts wrapped and ready to be delivered. They gave Orient the lead with ten minutes gone after an exciting opening period on the frozen Spotland surface. Orient were awarded a free-kick on the left hand-side which Matt Lockwood crossed for Gary Alexander to head home unchallenged as Matthew Gilks in the Rochdale goal squinted to try and spot the Orient frontman’s marker, who was nowhere to be seen.

Rochdale were bright in their response and carved out an equaliser after twenty-three minutes following some sustained pressure. Jamie Clarke’s free-kick was knocked, courtesy of Griffiths' head, to Goodall at the back post who smashed an excellent drive past a helpless Garner to level the scores. Rather than succumb to a Rochdale side that had no cutting edge following the goal, Orient appeared to be angered that Rochdale had dared to threaten them so Shane Tudor served to show that they meant business with the best of the game’s six goals. The former Cambridge winger picked up the ball inside the box from Alexander’s knock and from a tight angle unleashed a wicked strike that slammed emphatically into the top corner. Tudor’s next action was less inspiring; he earned himself a costly booking for whirling his shirt above his head in celebration. Then, with half-time minutes away and Orient looking comfortable, Tudor sliced down Goodall and he received a second caution.

This should have put Orient needlessly on the ropes. The Rochdale attack can wound the best of teams so one that was suddenly reduced in number seemed to be a very attractive proposition. For some reason Rochdale could not turn the sending off into anything more than a blot on the visitors copybook; Martin Ling, the Orient boss, knew better than to invite Rochdale’s attack onto his weakened outfit; more goals would secure the points and his strike-force were more than capable of providing them.

The referee seemed happy to assist Orient in their plight for victory but to blame the match officials for Rochdale’s defeat would be to try and cover up the cracks in the Rochdale rearguard. With Rochdale prowling around the Orient box minutes into the second half Michael Simpson controlled the ball with his hand to set Orient off on a counter attack, the referee was oblivious to the clear infringement but the Dale defence had the numbers to prevent the referee’s mistake from being costly. The dominant O’s strike-force, however, showed no mercy and Steele held the ball up well before feeding Alexander’s direct run and he rounded Gilks and finished into the empty goal.

The contest seemed to be dead with the visitors cantering to victory; Orient were in such control that their numbers had to be continuously counted, they made playing the game with less players look much easier than the home side who laboured on with a full contingent. Then, a life-line, after Rochdale suddenly gained some enthusiasm, the introduction of the returning Ernie Cooksey for the woeful Brisco added drive to the midfield and Cooksey himself earned Rochdale the corner that got them back into the contest. Lambert swept in the cross and Blair Sturrock, another substitute, fired the loose ball past a helpless Garner.

Rochdale then equalised, at least that is how it appeared to be to all bar the referee. Paul Tait flicked the ball to Lambert who turned free under a challenge from a defender and fired past Garner. The Dale players were buoyant, could they now go on and secure an unlikely victory? The Orient players held their heads in the belief that they had thrown their lead away. All those thoughts changed when everyone concerned looked at the referee who was indicating that the next piece of action would be an Orient free-kick rather then an Orient centre kick – the referee, for an unknown reason, had disallowed the goal and Lambert was booked for pointing out that the referee’s decision was perhaps incorrect, although he was a touch more flamboyant in his remonstrations.

Dale were then determined to let the referee’s decision shoot them in the foot as four minutes later the game was finally put beyond doubt by the visitors and, like the opening goal, the Dale defence were a non-entity; John Mackie this time evaded the Rochdale marking system from a free-kick to put his free-header beyond a helpless Gilks.

Rochdale’s willingness to make a game of things was now dead and Orient maintained their professional outlook to secure a sixth away victory and sustain an away record that is inferior to only that of Reading in the entire football league. The ten men took the points back to London far too easily and the performance left Steve Parkin questioning whether or not his side much cared about the recent run of defeats. If that is the case the next three games, arguably the most important of Dale’s season, look more likely to end in embarrassment rather than hard-fought victory. In the run up to Christmas Rochdale have become one of the most charitable sides in League Two and their defence has bordered on comical.