Dale cruised to an easy victory against mid table Plymouth Argyle at Spotland, with a performance that just oozed confidence, which takes us into the top seven with just one game left to play. On this showing, Division Two is a formality! Full very late match report finally online!

Of course, all of that above was a load of crap. The crucial fact is that Dale got the three points that they needed, irrespective of whether they deserved them or not. If truth be told, we didn't deserve to win, as Plymouth looked far better than any of us would have expected them to be as a side with seemingly nothing left for them to play for.

However, the victory was always going to be more important than the style of victory, and so it proved to be. Dale did not play as well as they could have done, and allowed Argyle to inflict their authority onto the game. On a different day, Argyle could have coasted to victory but in all honesty, who's bothered? We won!

We now find ourselves in the position that we needed to be in, where it is all still in our hands. As it stands, victory at Argyle (which on tonight's showing will be far from easy) is all we need to guarantee us a play off place. Any other result will then come down to the Darlington vs Blackpool result, where Dale have to equal the result that Blackpool get.

Well the fans turned up as requested and for once, Dale did not blow it in front of the large crowd. Approximately 4000 Dale supporters in a crowd boosted by a handful of Argyle supporters, which probably constituted the smallest away support of the season for any team at Spotland.

So many times in seasons past, have we seen the crowds turn up at Spotland, usually after a great start to the season, only for them all to walk out disappointed at the final whistle, muttering about how it was as poor a Dale team as ever. Not after this game. As everyone walked out, the talk was dominated by discussion of how to get to Plymouth this weekend.

Dale went into the game with just the one change from Saturday's win over Mansfield with Phil Hadland coming in on the left hand side, replacing Michael Oliver who was forced to drop out on the day of the match through illness. In the Plymouth side was former Oldham striker Sean McCarthy playing at central defence, and Stuart Elliott who was much taunted by the Dale support up at Darlington earlier this season.

It was certainly a match that Dale needed to win, but to do so, they would have to wipe away thirty winless years, as the last time we beat Argyle, the goals came from Hugh Riley, and a youthful David Cross. Even Tony Ford hadn't started playing at that point.

Everything started off going according to plan. The Sun was shining, the players came out, the fans roared them on, and Dale looked up to the challenge. It looked like Dale were continuing on from their three home match winning run, and taking on from where they left off against Mansfield. We were by far the better side in the early stages, and it looked like an early goal would always be on the cards.

In fact, it looked like it wasn't just on the cards, but it had actually happened. Dale had a free kick awarded on the Willbutts Lane side of the ground as they attacked the Sandy Lane end of the ground in the first half. As the ball was whipped in, Mark Monington broke through to fire a diving header into the net, but the celebrations were short lived as the Linesman was waving his flag for offside.

Despite all of Dale's early pressure, they hadn't really forced any clear cut chances, and that allowed the visitors to grow in confidence and things just started to get a little bit on the worrying side. Despite our thoughts that Argyle would have their minds on how many beach towels to take on their Club 18-30 holidays this summer (Club 18-30 stone in McCarthy's case!), they actually looked a half decent team. In fact, when they started to play, and knock the ball about a bit, they looked to be a very good team, and not the mid table side their league position suggested that they are!

Just after the half hour mark, something that very few Dale fans had even considered happened. Argyle went and ruined the show, by actually scoring, when their striker Mickey Evans miskicked it and it went in. Well, perhaps not! It was in truth a truly outstanding goal by the former Southampton striker who fired home from the right hand side from a tightish angle with power and accuracy to give Edwards no chance whatsoever.

At this point on, understandably the jitters started to appear, and coupled with the tired legs which were playing their eighth game in twenty one days, things were certainly not going according to plan as far as Dale were concerned. Half time couldn't come quickly enough for Dale, so Parkin could refire his troops.

However, the start of the second half did little to encourage Dale supporters that a reverse of the fortunes would be on the cards. Something was certainly missing from Spotland, both on and off the field, with supporters relatively quiet at this point.

What was missing, was that little bit of fortune, or perhaps a bit of inspiration from somewhere. Thankfully for Dale supporters it came on the hour mark from Stuart Elliott? Who? The Argyle right back who for some reason decided to head the ball into his own goal, taking it away from Larrieu at the same time. Nice goal, shame about the face!

Of course, this was just what we wanted, and we all knew that this would fire Dale into the ascendancy, allowing us to take the lead, and stroll the rest of the game. Half right.

Just three minutes after Elliott's o.g., Paul Connor continued to do what he's best at, and that is scoring great goals. And what a goal too! He moved in from the left hand side, beating a couple of defenders, before volleying it past Larrieu into the top right hand corner before the French keeper had even a chance to see it!

This goal would surely kill off any lingering hopes that the Pilgrims had of getting anything from the game, but if anything, they redoubled their efforts and dominated the remaining thirty minutes of the match. They had no plans to leave Spotland empty handed and leave a thirty one year record in tatters!

To describe the remaining time as nervous does nothing to describe the tension that the Dale supporters had to endure. Hearts weren't so much in mouths but had been completely swallowed, and the thirty two year wait by Dale for success was very much in evidence.

We were on the back foot for what seemed to be about four and half seasons, with the ball hoofed clear at every opportunity. Anywhere would do, and the odd occasion, we did have a breakaway attack, but within seconds the ball was back in the Dale half.

If the task wasn't bad enough, then twelve minutes from time it was made even harder when the referee decided to send Dave Flitcroft off. It all began when Mark Monington got pushed over right in front of the referee, then over again as he attempted to get up. The ref played the advantage, and it appeared that following on from that, Dave Flticroft was fouled by one of the Argyle players. Indeed, those around thought that the Argyle player had been sent off., but reports from other sources reckoned that Flitcroft's second yellow was justfied. Didn't have the greatest of views of it, so I'll leave it up to you on that one.

Ten men, one goal up, twelve minutes to go. No problem. Well it wouldn't have been had the referee not decided that Dale were the away team at Old Trafford by increasing the alloted time by an extra five minutes (though how can we complain about added on time against Argyle after last season?).

Dale managed to hold out, though the Dale defence didn't as it was breeched several times in the final few minutes, but fortunately, the Argyle strikers found Neil Edwards in superb form which brought him a thoroughly justified Man of the Match award after the game. On the one time that Taff was beaten, we found that even the posts were on our side tonight, as an Argyle shot hit the woodwork in the dying seconds.

So the final whistle went, and the club's first really genuine pitch invasion occurred since the Stockport victory back in in 1987, with many a face of real joy on the faces of the Dale support. Perhaps wisely, the management and players didn't make too much of it, when coming back out to thank the Supporters, realising that the season is far from over. Indeed, as Neil Edwards said over the rickety PA, "this wasn't out last home game!"

Photo: Action Images

Rochdale Polls