Fans reckon they’ve seen worst the own goal of all-time with Rochdale’s 102-year stay in the EFL all but over following a draw to Tranmere.
On Tuesday, Dale welcomed the Merseysiders at Spotland Stadium for a match the hosts knew if they lose or draw and results go against them they’ll be relegated.
Rochdale came back from 2-0 down to earn a point, giving them a very slight glimmer of hope in avoiding the drop, but realistically, they know they’re down.
He’ll want to forget this 😩
Rochdale goalkeeper Richard O’Donnell was the victim of a nightmare bobble off the pitch 🏟 pic.twitter.com/N1E9VYDWm8
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) April 19, 2023
Ethan Ebanks-Landell spared goalkeeper Richard O’Donnell’s mistake with a stoppage-time goal to rescue the relegation-threatened side.
The visitors then took the lead after 19 minutes when midfielder Liam Kelly sent a pass back to O’Donnell, who, under no pressure at all, some how put it into his own net.
Rochdale came close shortly after when Kelly’s free-kick was put onto the crossbar by Ian Henderson.
Referee Scott Tallis awarded Tranmere a penalty after 53 minutes with Jimmy Keohane penalised for a foul on Harvey Saunders and Josh Hawkes converted from the spot.
Dale rallied with Ethan Brierley’s long-range shot forcing Rovers goalkeeper Mateusz Hewelt into a save while Danny Lloyd sent a dipping effort narrowly over the crossbar.
Lloyd got one back with nearly 20 minutes remaining, a low drilled effort, and Ebanks-Landell then headed home Lloyd’s corner from close range in time added on.
The draw means Rochdale remain eight points adrift of 22nd-placed Crawley with three games of the campaign remaining of the League Two season.
They made a terrible start, conceding a comical own-goal in the 19th minutes.
Richard O’Donnell, the goalkeeper, accidentally put the ball in his own net while trying to control a tricky pass with his incorrect foot.
The game was so amazing that the spectators couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
The home team’s woes got worse when Joshua Hawkes doubled their visitors’ lead from the penalty spot.
Danny Lloyd, however, gave Dale fans a small glimmer hope that they could pull off a major escape when he scored in the 69th minutes.
A defender Ethan Ebanks Landell’s equaliser in the 89th minute gave them a valuable point to help them avoid relegation.
Rochdale returns to League Two action this Saturday when it travels to Edgeley Park and takes on Stockport, the fourth-placed team.
Jimmy McNulty says that he’s pleased his side fought to come back from behind in their 2-2 draw with Tranmere Rovers last night.
“Pleased with a point. Pleased to come back from behind again, two goals behind tonight. In what I feel was real adversity. The nature of the first goal to start with, when I watched it live, I thought it seemed really bizarre. I didn’t really know how it had gone in, it was strange to me,” said McNulty.
“I thought at first Rich O’Donnell had taken a bad touch. I knew the ball was travelling towards the outside line of the goal when it was passed back to him, and I thought he’d taken a bad touch with the outside of his foot.”
“Only when I got into the changing room he told me, and the rest of the players told me that Rich never even took a touch. It actually hit the rugby post holder in the ground, there’s a little rubber lip that sticks up slightly above the ground. Rich has told me, and the players have told me that it deviates off that rubber on its way back to him and goes into the back of the net.”
“Which, if you had seen my expression at pitchside when that goal went in, I was puzzled by it, it didn’t seem right in the moment.”
“Upon learning that, you shouldn’t laugh but I almost had to laugh because I thought, how else can we be tested in this spell? We’re bottom of the football league, facing real adversity. How else can we be tested? And that was almost my message to the players because I thought it was really hostile tonight, it was difficult for the players to play.”
“When we went 1-0 down, the ground was very agitated, but the players kept trying to do it in a way that we think is the best way for us or in a way that can work.”
“And then we faced another decision that we thought was incorrect. We’ve seen that one back, Jimmy Keohane clearly pokes the ball away from the lad. The ref apologized to me at the end of the game when I think he felt the gravity of the decision he’s made is probably an incorrect one. There was no argument from their bench either.
“And we face a penalty and we’re 2-0 down. So, a really bizarre first goal, an incorrect decision for the second goal. Forgiveness on the incorrect decision, referees make wrong calls just like we do. Those things happen in football, but the first goal was really bizarre.”
“It provided real adversity for us to try and overcome, and the fact that the players did come back from that and get a 2-2 draw in a really tough environment tonight, I think it just shows how much fight the players have got and I’m really proud of them to actually come back and get something out of that and then keep fighting on, keep fighting for another week.”
As mentioned, some fans reckon they’ve seen worst own goal of all-time with Rochdale’s 102-year stay in EFL all but over…
@harring11tons: Not even shocked. We can’t play out from the back. We r so bad at it this proves it. Yet 20 minutes later we’re still playing out from the back.. badly. We need goal and wins. Stays like this n crawley win then we’re relegated. No heart or fight from any of them
@BillyBlake_15: What have I just seen 😭😭😭😭
@DaleDicko: If ever a goal summed up a season
@jon_38dale: You absolute fucking useless cunts
@NathanM14002: Deserve to go down
@stephencalver12: Rochdale are shite
@MrRichardNewall: Hahahha that just sums our season up
@marksweetmore:
“the fans were nervy, on edge, agitated”
THIS. IS. WHY.
102 years. for what? #RAFC
@chrisjbaines22: I think that’s the worst goal we’ve conceded I have ever seen in my time supporting dale. What the FUCK is that
@rafc_jake: Oh jesus what was that
@RyLockett97: I’m a big fan of possession-based football, but there’s literally no reason for Kelly to go back to the GK here and for someone who’s meant to be a technical midfielder, the quality of the pass is awful.
@AllDalelong: And this is how McNulty wants us to play. Embarrassing that these ^players” are considered to be professionals. When McNulty gets the managers job full time in the summer season ticket sales will slump to an all time low.
@JHudson1988: You could not make that up. 💀
@retromikey6: Well that was absolutely pathetic, sums up this club from top to bottom, pathetic! Get rid of the lot of them, awful awful team
@samgray_28: Passes ball with his right, yet tries to control it with the outside of left… howler.
@KZYprxductions: Ebbsfleet is very nice in January
@deanholden: RE: iFollow commentary. Yeah Jack, I agree it’s often the way of the modern game but passing around at the back to keep possession only bloody works with players capable of doing it. We haven’t, it’s why we’re bottom. I’d love a Tony Brown in defence just to boot it sometimes. And I realise it was Kelly with the backpass and not a defender, but it was at the end of 5 minutes not leaving our own half under minimal pressure and unnecessary.
@Easters86:
Rochdale bottom of the EFL
“playing out from the back”
@Mcgoo_84: Ha ha ha ha ha funniest thing I’ve ever seen!
@heyit5sam: Even in league 2 they try and play the pep way 😂 wish everyone played to their own style n strengths
@srb1889: That pass back hasn’t helped either
@wwfcdrummer: God I gonna miss Rochdale away one of my favourite away days there going down 😕😕
@samlws: That’s rough, got to feel for O’Donnell 😬 #bcafc #rafc
@MichaelShoeBobs: Looks suspicious AF that 🤔
@_tomhaden: That backpass is atrocious as well
— Nathan (@nathanscholes26) April 18, 2023
You must be logged in to post a comment Login