The sun was just setting on the horizon as we crossed the border, with the view from Blackstone Edge being perhaps the best part of any of our travels. The prosperous Manchester skyline to the left, the rolling hillsides to the right, whilst in the foreground you could make out the shimmering water of Hollingworth Lake. Our 17-mile Journey west wasn’t taking us to any of these exotic places though, instead we were heading for the delights of Rochdale.
With parking limited around the ground due to residential permits, we’d researched the area using Street View, zoomed in on door numbers, and then located the specific address through the Post Office’s website. It was an interesting task, not just to locate where to park, but also to see what the unsuspecting locals were up to when the camera van had passed. In the end, we parked in sight of the beaming floodlights, and just had an interesting overgrown snicket to navigate.
There was a real sense of traditional football as we waited outside for the turnstiles to open. The local chippy was overrun with customers as it filled the air with the sweet smell of something unhealthy. The travelling Shaymen stood in groups along the street, some dressed in football attire, others clearly had come straight from work, unless, of course, it was fancy dress night, and nobody had told us… In the background you could hear the distant rumble of a drummer and his entourage respectfully making their way along the quiet residential streets towards the ground. Football at its finest
Admission to seating alongside the pitch was a ‘bargain’ £25 on the night, almost 14 percent higher than visiting fans to the Shay are charged and the most expensive in the league. Rumour has it they intend to build a new stand with the proceeds, but with fewer travelling fans than for our recent cup game at Oldham, it’s clear that they may have less in the kitty this morning than if they charged the average price for a game in this league.
The first half was as one sided as it gets; poor old Sam Johnson didn’t get a touch of the ball at any point in the first 30 minutes. Even a free kick for Rochdale midway in our half was defended and resulted in a shot on goal for the Shaymen. The 600 or so travelling fans were loud and enjoying a display of total dominance. As is the way with football, there’s always the possibility of the unexpected, and just before half-time the home side took the lead with their first and only attempt up to that point.
The second half wasn’t as one-sided, it would be impossible for that to be the case. The Shaymen still showed ambition, pushing forward and equalising with around 10 minutes to go. The goal was celebrated with much relief and joy amongst the travelling faithful. It was the absolute minimum the team deserved for their efforts on the night. Anyway, as is the way with football, there’s always the possibility of the unexpected, and just before the final whistle, the home side had their second attempt of the evening and that was that.
As we headed back to the car, down the now dark and overgrown snicket, the locals celebrated as they left the ground. They were clearly delighted with an unexpected and perhaps undeserved three points. “It was definitely our best defeat of the season,” remarked Tesco Pete “We’ll play much worse than that and come away with something in the future.”
Next up and we’re off to the West Country with a grand day out to Yeovil. We’ve not won down there for a while so very much looking forward to it.
Miles on the road: 2242. Goals on the road: 8. Points on the road: 11.
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