Are Brentford becoming the new Grimsby? It would seem so as Dale picked up their third victory in three visits to Griffin Park, as it becomes the happiest of hunting grounds for the Dale. Full report now online.

This wasn't supposed to happen. This couldn't happen. You cannot go to a Premiership club and push them all the way like we did, and then less than 48 hours later produce a performance like this. It physically should not be possible, and almost had me tempted to stick some money on a home win. And when you consider we played a third of the game with just ten men, then its verging on the ridiculous.

With the midday game on Sky showing some fantastic Lancashire downpours, those Dale fans who had travelled down to the capital were rewarded with something of an Indian Summer, with seemingly some form of competition existing amongst the Dale brethren to say "crackin' flags" as often as possible. It has to be said, the Dale fans had travelled South in hope rather than in expectation, as the aforementioned Birmingham game gave this game that feel of any result would be a great result.

Amongst those watching the game was former Dale keeper Neil Edwards, now working for Bolton Wanderers as a goalkeeping coach, who had been despatched to the capital to take a look at Brentford's England U-21 keeper Alex McCarthy.

We started with the same side that started on Thursday, with Joe Thompson still missing through illness. There had been speculation that recent Celtic recruit Josh Thompson would be given a start following his cameo at St. Andrews, but Keith Hill opted to stick with Marcus Holness in the centre of defence, and he was ultimately proved right for doing so.

It was a bright start by Dale, and certainly it looked like we'd brought more confidence than fatigue from the midweek outing. As with at Brum, we lined up with the 4-3-3 / 4-5-1 formation but with O'Grady as the one pushed furthest forward. In doing so, when attacking, Elding pretty much turned it into a front two which certainly worked a lot more than when their positions were reversed.

Brentford also looked lively and capable of causing us problems, and with a forward line of Gary Alexander and Charlie Macdonald, we knew our youngsters at the back would have be on top form to keep them out. An early corner saw all sorts of movements and promises of future danger from that attacking duo

But it was Dale who took the lead about ten minutes into the game. City loanee Andrew Tutte advanced with the ball before launching a rasping shot from outside of the box, which earned the Bees keeper McCarthy his first question mark on Taffy's scouting report, as he parried the ball out to Anthony Elding who looped a header into the back of the empty net to make it 1-0 to Dale.

Moments later it was 2-0. Good work by Chris O'Grady saw his shot blocked, leaving the simplest of tap ins for Jason Kennedy to open his tally for the club. The celebrations continued for a good 10 seconds or so before the linesman's waving flag was spotted. The ball was back in play before some Dale fans even realised that the goal had been chalked off for offside, and had it not been for the scoreboard in the corner, some may well have left the ground celebrating a famous 4-1 victory.

Unsurprisingly, the home side endeavoured to get back into the game, and it took a clumsy challenge from Jason Kennedy to stop one such move. Despite limping away from the challenge himself, it was perhaps the most obvious yellow card you'll see all season as Kennedy rightly got his name into the referee's notebook.

That attack thwarted by Kennedy was simply a warning for what was to come. To the astonishment of those watching, Scott Wiseman got done for pace by Bees wideman Weston who went round the outside before curling the ball back to the penalty spot for Simpson to grab the equaliser. If I'm being honest, I'd have took a draw at this point.

But the expected onslaught from the home side against the tiring visitors never happened, and whether it's down to character, talent or tactics, we seem to have this wonderful ability to regroup and just carry on with things in a very professional manner. Nothing seems to phase us.

The second half began with visitors Dale on the asendancy, and we went close in the opening moments of the half. Good work by O'Grady (which is threatening to become the most oft repeated phrase of the season) saw it nearly open up for him within the Bees penalty box, but the ball got stuck between his feet at the wrong moment, and the home side were able to scramble it away.

We didn't have to wait long for the breakthrough, and on the hour mark, O'Grady grabbed his first goal of the season. Passes between Kennedy and Widdowson saw O'Grady turn his man and from the edge of the penalty box, he fired it into the far corner past Bees keeper McCarthy. Very much a deserved reward for a player who gets better and better, week by week. Perhaps it's not just Dawson we need to be ignoring phone calls about in the next few days.

Within two minutes, it was game over. Much was written about Jason Kennedy when he signed for us. Memories of his stunning forty yard goals against us for Darlington brought great anticipation amongst the Dale support about this player who could seemingly score from anywhere. And so in 2009-10, we sat back and awaited the flood of wonder goals.

And we waited. And waited. And waited.

So after that season in which he failed to trouble the scorers, I suppose it was always going to take a scruffy goal for him to break his Rochdale duck. A cross from the right wing by Andrew Tutte was clipped into the back of the net by Kennedy from short range, and after 52 games our "goalscoring midfielder" became an actual goalscoring midfielder, but it was the aftermath that became the game's real talking point.

After scoring the goal, Kennedy ran about five yards into the arms of six or seven Dale supporters in the terrace behind the goal, and in doing so, he incurred the wrath of the referee who produced a second yellow card to dismiss Kennedy. We know it lacks common sense, we know the referee was simply following instructions to the letter of the law and we know we will see countless examples where players repeat such actions without being disciplined. It's wrong, and shame on those Brentford supporters who cheered this decision. I hope this doesn't put Kennedy off scoring again for us.

This was the last thing we wanted or needed after our energy sapping 48 hours, but the adrenalin kicked in, and despite keeper Lillis being busy, you couldn't really claim that he was troubled for this remaining thirty minutes. In fact, whilst none of us were ever brave enough to actually say so at the time, the game was very much in the bag, and the result was never in doubt during this last period of the game.

They tried to come at us, but Holness and Dawson held firm at the back. Former Dale loanee Nicky Adams was thrown on to find a breakthrough, as was veteran striker Carl Cort who replaced Marcus Bean, or Marcus Bean to Has Been as one terrace wag quipped.

We were happy to sit back, soak up anything they tried and look to give the ball to Chris O'Grady who produced another mastershow up front, making a mockery of all those Biffo comments last season of "he's found his level". The way the game was going, we were possibly the more likely to add to the scoresheet, and as the minutes ticked away, the nerves gradually became bigger and bigger smiles.

The now traditional four minutes of second half injury time came and went, with a brief glimmer of hope for the Bees at around the 92nd minute mark, but the ten men stood tall to hold on to record the first win in the third tier of football since I was four days old, which must be getting on for nearly twenty five years ago now.

A great display by Dale, which brought with it an unexpected but thoroughly deserved victory against a side who began the season as hotly tipped in certain quarters. This Dale side is finding its feet, and that balance between attacking intent and not leaving ourselves open looked absolutely spot on, and it showed on the faces of the players at the final whistle as they made it down towards the tunnel at the Dale end of the ground.

Different division, same Dale, same result.

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Photo: Action Images

pedrodale added 13:21 - Aug 29 Refs just a fat git on the fringes and frightend of being dropped therefore dosent want to put it in jepordy , just made himself look more stupid in more ways than one
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ColDale added 10:14 - Aug 30 I actually thought the referee had a very good game. Can think of very few decisions he got wrong - the disallowed goal was rightly chalked off, and he'll argue he had no option but to send Kennedy off.
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