Rochdale Out Of JPT to Preston

It might not have mattered, and it might have all been in vain, but last night Rochdale finally played like Eyre has been telling us they`re capable of doing.

Dale, not ones to go against tradition, went behind in the first half, despite a solid performance. The addition of Jason Kennedy has certainly had that effect.

The second half was a step up again as Rochdale controlled large parts of the game by keeping hold of the football. Akpa-Akpro was full of running, and Harry Bunn gave the side the cutting edge they`ve been lacking since David Ball returned to Peterborough.

Eyre described his finish as “top flight quality,” one his Dad would have been proud of in his pomp. Another couple like that at weekend, against Bradford in the FA cup, would do very nicely indeed thank you.

Whether Rochdale can turn in this sort of performance in the league remains to be seen, but hope springs eternal.