SPOTLAND – ROCHDALE

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First County Visit:Saturday 4th March 1978
Competition:Football League Division 4 – (Tier 4)
Result:Rochdale 2 – 1 Stockport County
Attendance:2,278
Away Trip:3
Away Day:3
County Line-up1 Mike Rogan; 2 Graham Smith; 3 John Rutter; 4 Alan Thompson; 5 Phil Jackson; 6 Ken Fogarty; 7 Mike Summerbee; 8 Carl Halford; (12 Chris Lawler); 9 Terry Park; 10 Eddie Prudham; 11 Barry Howard
Scorer:Barry Howard
Manager:Alan Thompson
County Visits:21

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FACILITIES WITH A VIEW

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Dear Old Spotland!!

(Programme image courtesy of ‘Hatters Matters’)

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A ground much improved in the last decade, but back in the 1980’s in much need of an overhaul. But there was one redeeming feature – covered on all four sides, even if the “visitors” accommodation at the Pearl Street End was little more than a lean-to at the back of the terrace.

Sadly conditions underfoot were less than primitive. On a wet day, (and there were plenty of those on our travels to fellow Division 4 strugglers, “The Dale”) a few railway sleepers laid into the slope meant keeping ones feet at moments of high excitement, (sic), demanded a balance worthy of an Olympic gymnast.

This was Away Trip number 3, following hot on the heels of the victorious trip to Barnsley a fortnight previously. Clearly the triumph at Oakwell had wetted my appetite for getting on the road more often, and journeys to Rochdale don’t come much easier for the Hatters faithful. This was the first time I came across the fabled “facilities” at Spotland, which were no more, no less than a brickwall, which offered the dual purpose of keeping an eye on the game whilst taking natural relief. Undoubtedly a boon to those fellow travellers who had stopped en route for refreshment at The Cemetery, where various types; brands and strengths of real ale were readily available.

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Spotland – the view from the facilities!! Main Stand to the left and the Sandy Lane End behind the far goal

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The game itself was less than memorable. Indeed it caused a reference to the record books to even recall the result, never mind the scorers. As it turned out there was a single goal for County in a 2-1 loss, which came courtesy of Barry Howard, a recent arrival from Runcorn. A much travelled player in local non-league circles his arrival at Edgeley Park marked his sole Football League appearances, and he disappeared back to the likes of Altrincham; Hyde United and Ashton United as quickly as he had emerged.

Taking in a lot of non-County games in those pre-marital days Spotland was a regular stop.  Never a problem getting in, nor parking in the plentiful terraced streets which surrounded the arena.  Even today there doesn’t seem to be much attraction for the local populace to wend their way to see their town team.  Maybe the attraction of the petro dollar funded circus at Eastlands, or the alternative on the other side of Manchester is too great.  Whatever the case a club which has clearly improved immeasurably since the 1970’s, and is now operating with relative comfort in League 1, (Tier 3), still struggles to draw many more than 2,500.

Back then, and indeed through the 1980’s and 1990’s, the word ‘crowd’ is more than a bit of a misnomer for the gatherings at Spotland. It was a case of “guess the crowd” and by how many more than 1,000 it would be announced as, whatever the actual numbers who had passed through the turnstiles. The number of times the official record shows crowds of 1,003, 1,012 and the like led cynics, (amongst which I count myself), to suggest that there was a determination never to show a crowd as less than 1,000.

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The Pearl Street End

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Bizarrely one very wet evening I ended up there to watch a “derby” against Crewe. I took reguge under the Wilbutts Lane Stand – decent cover but never the best view in the world, but that night you could choose the best vantage point. There were simply no more than 500 in the ground, but the followed day’s paper dutifully recorded the throng as a handful over the four figure mark!! Put in the context of Rochdale’s regular applications for re-election, in the days prior to automatic promotion and relegation to the Conference, some might have, indeed did, suggest that this was part of the ploy to maintain league status.

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The Wilbutts Lane Stand – with the famous’facilities’ to the right in this photo. As with two other sides of the ground it has now disappeared and replaced by much improved accommodation.

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And maybe it worked. The season of this first visit the Dale were forced to apply for re-election, having finished rock bottom. They survived at the expense of Southport. Two years later Altrincham, the media non-league darlings of the time, (akin to FC United and Salford these days), were the unlucky victims as Rochdale once again ended up at the bottom of the pile as the “old boys” act came into play. It’s an interesting thought, but would they have managed to recover had they taken the drop? We will never know but given the travails of County in their journey into non-league maybe not.

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The Main Stand back in my early travelling days – long gone now

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Spotland is my third most visited ground for County away trips. Twenty-one visits, with varying degrees of success. 10 defeats, 4 draws and 7 wins. Of the victories the one in January 2006 was the most memorable. Sitting bottom of the table following a 6 goal hammering at Macclesfield on Boxing Day, Chris Turner had been shown the door, and replaced by Jim Gannon in the hotseat. It needed promotion form over the rest of the season to ensure safety. On a dark and dank afternoon the climb to salvation started. A spectacular goal from Jermaine Easter settled matters on an afternoon of highest tension and arguably approaching the lowest quality football. Within 28 months the two sides met again, but this time at Wembley in the Play-Off final. County triumphed 3-2. Gannon had not only completed the rescue act but given us some belief that we could return to the Championship. Sadly, it was a victory built on sand, as the subsequent biblical scale mismanagement of the Club saw a very swift decline into non-league.

There’s an interesting You Tube video which shows Spotland a year or so after my first visit. Spotland in 1979

September 2016

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VISITS

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DayDateCompetitionTier / RoundOpponentsResFACrowdAway Day
Saturday04/03/78Football League Division 4Tier 4RochdaleL122,2783
Tuesday01/05/79Football League Division 4Tier 4RochdaleL022,11715
Tuesday09/10/79Football League Division 4Tier 4RochdaleW102,30019
Friday12/12/80Football League Division 4Tier 4RochdaleL121,90135
Saturday24/10/81Football League Division 4Tier 4RochdaleL141,77848
Saturday16/04/83Football League Division 4Tier 4RochdaleL011,82977
Tuesday30/08/83Milk CupRound 1 – 1st LegRochdaleW301,83979
Saturday05/11/83Canon League Division 4Tier 4RochdaleD221,68287
Tuesday04/09/84Milk CupRound 1 – 2nd LegRochdaleW211,49797
Wednesday08/05/85Canon League Division 4Tier 4RochdaleD001,399114
Monday26/08/85Canon League Division 4Tier 4RochdaleL142,053117
Wednesday05/05/87Today League Division 4Tier 4RochdaleL124,840145
Saturday12/09/87Barclays League Division 4Tier 4RochdaleW102,124146
Saturday08/10/88Barclays League Division 4Tier 4RochdaleD113,021161
Monday16/04/90Barclays League Division 4Tier 4RochdaleD113,194188
Saturday08/09/90Barclays League Division 4Tier 4RochdaleL012,825193
Wednesday11/01/95Auto Windscreens TrophyNorthern Quarter-finalRochdaleL122,154293
Tuesday15/10/05
(Highlights)		LDV Vans TrophyNorthern Round 1RochdaleL131,683539
Saturday14/01/06
(Highlights)		Coca-Cola Football League – League 2Tier 4RochdaleW103,520546
Saturday28/10/06
(Highlights)		Coca-Cola Football League – League 2Tier 4RochdaleW313,709563
Tuesday06/11/07
(Highlights)		Coca-Cola Football League – League 2Tier 4RochdaleW212,915589

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ON MY JOURNEY WITH COUNTY AROUND 180 GROUNDS

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Previously – OAKWELL Next stop – OLD TRAFFORD
Category: 1970's

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