Rochdale

Match Report: Rochdale 3 – 3 Charlton Athletic

A flurry of four goals in the second half at Spotland Stadium meant both sides added a point to their season tally.

Charlton Athletic came into the fixture with hopes to reinvigorate any promotion hopes. Karl Robinson has begun to feel the pressure down at the Southeast London outfit. He has only won three league games since he took over in November.

However, Rochdale entered the fixture knowing they needed to start picking up points. In recent weeks the Dale have dropped from the promotion spots they have held for dominant spells of the season. The redundancy of a single goal in their last four league fixtures becoming a major concern.

All things considered, both sides needed to obtain a positive result from the game as the season is entering its final third.

Charlton and Rochdale’s Squad:

Karl Robinson discusses his team selection:

As the clock turned 3.00pm and the referee’s whistle blows for the game to commence, it was not long before the first goal was witnessed. In the opening five minutes, Rochdale ended their goalless drought.

Donald McDermott drove a ball into Charlton’s six-yard area, forcing Declan Rudd to parry the ball at a difficult angle. In consequence of the looming pressure applied by Calvin Andrew meant the ball fell to Niall Canavan who was able to tap it home from a very short range.

It was not until the closing stages of the first half, Charlton were able to peg back an equaliser. Keith Keane’s unfortunate slip, as he attempted to header the ball away from Jordan Botaka, was the luck that the Addicks required. The midfielder lost his footing which meant that his connection with the ball was timid and was not able to send the ball wide of the winger. Botaka seized the resulting loose ball, who was now one-on-one with the Dale goal, his initial shot hitting the post. However, Botaka ensured his second attempt beat Ben Wilson.

In the 66th minute, Charlton Athletic took the lead. Charlton fired a cross into the box, which connected with Patrick Bauer’s head. However, the Portuguese defender Jorge Teixeira ensured it went over the line by nodding the ball into the net. A fine display of the two centre-backs partnership in an attacking manner.

Three minutes later, in the 69th minute saw Ian Henderson’s superb cross connect with a powerful header from Andrews. The Dale fans pleased their setback was only for a short period of time.

The final 10 minutes of the game saw Rochdale and Charlton score once again. Nathaniel Mendez-Laing directed an effort in the bottom corner in the 84th minute. Nevertheless, Rochdale were unable to hold on, and Teixeira headed home a second of the game, seizing the free open space he was provided.

Rochdale now sits two points from sixth place Southend United, and Charlton have now accumulated 42 points, sitting eight points from the play-off places.

Previous Article
Charlton Athletic

Leeds United and Charlton fans respond to Botaka goal

Next Article
Charlton Athletic

Charlton Athletic: Fans react on Twitter to the Rochdale result

Related Posts