Dale 3 Bantams 0

It is officially panic time. This match was to be a barometer of our promotion credentials, and on this showing we will be playing league 2 footie next season. The scoreline was not the main issue, two of their goals were penalties, one was a little harsh, the other, one of the poorest refereeing decisions I have ever seen. More of which later. The way we were out played was what causes the greater concern. The Rochdale team, man for man, is probably not as good as ours, but they had a game plan, and stuck to it. Pacey and able to keep the ball for long periods of time, the first twenty minutes were all Rochdale, but we held strong at the back. Slowly City started to get back into the game, and at the back two mistakes presented Thorne with a couple of half chances, but the 'keeper saved smartly on both occasions. The second half started with a good chance for the Bantams, but from there on in it was all Dale. The first goal was a good header, from a free kick, but the first penalty seemed a bit dubious. Baz was pulled up for hand ball, but he appeared to me to have been shoved, a case of six of one, half a dozen of an other. The second, however was a travesty. Clarke clearly got the ball as tackled Le Fondre in the area, but the ref decided it was a foul, and the contest was over.

So where did it all go wrong? They were hungrier, and as I have said earlier, moved the ball with pace and purpose. Simply put, they played as a team. Our problem, especially on the road, seems to be a total lack of direction, and an all too predictable reliance on the big boot up front. Even the lower lights of the division are wise to our tactics, as both Notts County and Barnet have proved recently. With Daley absent, our main speed threat, our play is very one paced. Law and Furman have been outstanding in the middle, but the lack of movement, Jones excepted, has seen their clever play wasted. Colbeck has been woeful. Last night he spent the majority of the evening chasing his own shadow, running about the pitch like a headless chicken. I am not over exaggerating here, it was like playing with ten men, the lack of input from Joe palpable, and running everywhere as fast as possible cuts no ice in my book. Hopefully the signing of Keith Gillespie for the final ten games will see Joe given the time to find his form in the reserves. We have two away games on the south coast coming, play off rivals Exeter and in from Bournemouth, not the kind of games you would hand pick for a team struggling for form away from home. It's time for some of the lads to stand up and be counted.

Baz Watch- A surprise starter, McCall seems to be unable to leave a winning team alone. He gave a pretty good account of himself, but this doesn't mean he was good. He was responsible for the first pen, and missed his one good chance, but as ever he gave it his all. My question is why he started with Thorne up front. They are too similar in style, and always seem to be chasing the same ball, instead of playing off each other. The Grande Queso made a good point, Baz is better suited to playing in home fixtures, where the whole team seems to play with more confidence, and he is not expected to be the focal point. Substituted on the hour. 5/10

Pie Rating- I had high hopes, and had been looking forward to sampling a Rochdale pie since we fell into this league. Last season I was foiled by the snow, and was determined to make it this year. The reason for my eagerness? A few years ago, a report, rating the fayre served up at the grounds up and down the United Kingdom. Rochdale came third, for it's pies, losing out to a bacon roll and something non pie, so it was the premier pastry in the land. Was I to be disappointed? Had they lost their lustre during the intervening years? Am I a pie obsessive who reqires some form of therapy? The answer, unequivocally is NO! Myself and the Grand Fromage both went for the Steak variety, minus kidney. First good news, they were only £2, a bargain, and by far the cheapest I have come across for several years. I turned to the condiments, and the good news kept coming, they used Chop Sauce. So what about the pie itself? It was just the right temperature. It stuffed to the brim with filling. The gravy was moth wateringly lovely, and the steak chunks plentiful, an undoubted master-pie-ce! Did it score the maximum? Was it Pie-fect? It was damn close, but I have marked it down 0.5 on the pastry. It was good, no worries there, but my personal preference is for it to be a bit flaky, and the casing on these wondrous efforts was a little suety for me to give it the seal of pie-fection.

The Big Cheese said he doesn't do halves, and give it an almighty 9/10

As you may have gathered, my mark is an excellent 9.5/10


A high benchmark has been set. So high, I may have to reassess the previous ratings, as apart from Bury, Bradford's Steak and Kidney and Notts Countys Chicken and Mushroom, these bad boys were a country mile ahead of anything else sampled over the last couple of seasons.