Rochdale Return to Playoffs with Second-Half Brilliance Against 10-Man Tamworth

The first half was underwhelming for the hosts as they enjoyed the majority of possession and attacking play, but struggled to make it count.

Rochdale’s intent was clear from the third minute. Jid Okeke linked up well with Kyron Gordon before firing a low-driven ball across the box. Kairo Mitchell’s shot was deflected out for a corner.

For the next 15 minutes, Rochdale controlled possession but failed to register any meaningful shots or find the opening goal.

Tamworth grew into the game after Ben Crompton intercepted a poor pass from Harvey Gilmour, then avoided Gilmour’s sliding challenge, and struck a shot straight into Sam Waller’s hands.

Using their momentum, Tamworth pushed forward again just five minutes later. A corner kick led to multiple failed clearances from Rochdale’s defence, and the ball eventually fell to Haydn Hollis, whose shot was calmly claimed by Waller.

The stadium echoed with penalty shouts when Mitchell, Rochdale’s top scorer with 9 goals in 19 games, went down under minimal pressure from Tamworth’s defence. Referee Darren Drysdale waved the appeals away.

The end-to-end nature of the game continued when Aiden Barlow found space outside the 18-yard box and took a shot, but it was a comfortable save for Tamworth’s captain, Jas Singh.

Referee Drysdale was called into action yet again in the 36^th minute when Devante Rodney sent a ball high into the box. Mitchell attempted to shield it but was pulled down in the process. Once again, Rochdale’s penalty claims were dismissed.

Rochdale came out stronger in the second half but could only manage a couple of tame efforts on goal that did not trouble Singh.

In the 55th minute, a nice trio of passes between Harvey Gilmour, Aiden Barlow, and Ryan East resulted in East’s shot being deflected for a corner.

From the resulting set piece, East delivered a pinpoint ball to the far post, where Tarryn Allarakhia was left unmarked, but his effort was saved by the diving Singh.

Just four minutes later, in the 60th minute, tempers flared. A scuffle broke out between Aiden Barlow, Thomas Tonks, and Jordan Cullinane-Liburd. Barlow shoved Tonks, who went down holding his head. Cullinane-Liburd reacted by kicking Barlow, who retaliated with another push. Referee Drysdale issued a red card to Cullinane-Liburd and a yellow to Barlow.

Despite being reduced to ten men, Tamworth nearly took the lead. Tonks struck a set piece from 25 yards out, rattling the crossbar. Fortunately for Rochdale, the ball bounced the right side of the line and was cleared.

The breakthrough finally came in the 73rd minute. Allarakhia whipped in a corner to the back post, where the unmarked Gilmour slid the ball into the net.

Rochdale made their numerical advantage count, dominating the remainder of the match.

The second goal came through Gordon, whose weak-footed effort from the edge of the box, following a series of failed clearances, had just enough power to creep under the goalkeeper.

The result was sealed in the 87th minute when Jid Okeke displayed excellent footwork to beat his marker and drive to the byline. He delivered an accurate cross to Rodney, who buried the ball into the net for his seventh goal of the season.

The final whistle brought an end to a game Tamworth will want to forget. Rochdale’s dominance secured a well-deserved victory.

Rochdale, now sitting 5th and in the playoff positions, head into their weekend clash against Boston United full of confidence. Meanwhile, Tamworth remains in 16th place and will look to bounce back against Sutton United.