Yeovil Town were humbled at the hands of league leaders Rochdale as they capitulated to a 3-0 defeat which could have been by a far greater margin in Greater Manchester.
The Glovers looked rudderless as they fell behind to a goal from the division’s top scorer Emmanuel Dieseruvwe after just five minutes, the big striker added a second after half-an-hour and with two minutes of the half remaining Ryan East added a third.
In fairness, the scoreline at the break could have been far higher and the second half was no better with the visitors spending much of the game defending wave after wave of attacks.
First half
Imagine a terrible start and you could not have imagined one much worse than this. With just five minutes on the clock, Rochdale walked through the Yeovil midfield Ryan East played in wing-back Kyron Gordon and his low cross found top scorer Emmanuel DIESERUVWE who was there to poke home his tenth goal of the season. The big striker will not score many easier this season as he was able to find his way past the Yeovil defence with ease.
Five minutes, Luke McCormick robbed Harvey Gilmour in midfield and fed Aaron Jarvis who drilled a shot just wide of the post and then three minutes Josh Sims whipped a ball in from the right which beat Dale keeper Ollie Whatmuff, but could not beat the Gordon on the line or the offside flag.
In between the two Yeovil chances, defender Kyle Ferguson, who arrived at Huish Park in the summer following his release by Rochdale, endeared himself to his former supporters after a tangle with Dieseruvwe, who got a booking for his troubles. Ferguson was booed at every touch from that point for his theatrics.
The home side were happy to let Yeovil have the ball where it would not hurt them, but when they attacked they did so at will. First East put one over the bar before Allarakhia was denied by a save from Jed Ward and from the resulting corner Dieseruvwe flashed a chance wide.
A second goal was coming and it arrived with half-an-hour played. Devante Rooney was the creator as he was allowed to run unchallenged through the Yeovil midfield before picking out Emmanuel DIESERUVWE whose composed finish saw him double his tally.
Rodney was at the heart of everything playing a one two with Gordon and then seeing his effort tipped on to the crossbar by Ward and then four minutes before half-time Rodney was denied by the keeper again.
But, with 43 minutes gone it was 3-0. A ball in to the box found Dieseruvwe who bundled his way past several half-hearted Yeovil challenges and eventually it dropped to Ryan EAST who struck home a third.
Half time: Rochdale 3 Yeovil Town 0
Second half
Harvey Greenslade and replaced Andrew Oluwabori at half time, but the second half continued as the first had finished with Rochdale in complete control.
With 56 minutes gone, Ward’s punched landed at the feet of Rodney who fed Allarakhia whose effort was deflected before both Dieseruvwe and Allarakhia had efforts on goal. It is complete and utter one-way traffic.
With 65 minutes gone, Rochdale manager Jim McNulty decided to take pity on his opposite number Richard Dryden and made some substitutions with both Allarakhia and Barlow replaced. Then on 72 minutes, the hosts withdrew another three including Dieseruvwe and the impressive Rodney.
Dryden made changes with new signing Michee Efete coming on for his first minutes in a green-and-white shirt and Alex Whittle replacing Sims with 12 minutes remaining.
Ward made an impressive low stop to keep out a shot of Connor McBride with a minute remaining and then in the third minute of four minutes added on at the end of the game, Yeovil finally created an opportunity. McCormick’s shot coming back off the crossbar.
Full time: Rochdale 3 Yeovil Town 0
Match Details
Venue: Spotland
Date: Saturday 18th October, 3pm kick-off
Competition: National League Premier Division
Scorers: Emmanuel Dieseruvwe 5 (0-1), Emmanuel Dieseruvwe 30 (0-2), Ryan East 43 (0-3)
Pitch: Having previously been patchy, the Spotland surface looked pretty good.
Conditions: Cool and dry
Attendance: 2,716 (107 away supporters)
Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Byron Pendleton 45+2, Luke McCormick 50, Aaron Jarvis 86, Morgan Williams 86
Rochdale: Emmanuel Dieseruvwe 12
Referee: Jamie O’Connor
Yeovil Town (3-4-1-2)
Substitutes: Harvey Greenslade (for Andrew Oluwabori, 46), Michee Efete (for Kyle Ferguson, 71), Alex Whittle (for Josh Sims, 78), Brett McGavin (not used), Junior Morias (not used), Ben Wodskou (not used), Matt Gould (not used).
Rochdale: Ollie Whatmuff, Kyron Gordon, Ryan East (for Casey Pettit, 72), Liam Hogan, Tarryn Allarakhia (for Dan Moss, 64), Harvey Gilmour, Emmanuel Dieseruvwe (for Levi Amantchi, 72), Devante Rodney (for Connor McBride, 72), Tobi Adebayo-Rowling, Aidan Barlow (for Tyler Smith, 65), Sam Beckwith.
Substitutes (not used): Jake Burger, Bryce Hosannah.
Some very slick words from Nicholas on the latest pod to ultimately still poor on and off the pitch, not convinced there is a plan even though he may say otherwise.
I’m interested in what the atmosphere will be like if the team put in a 45 mins like the first half yesterday next weekend against Carlisle.
I think the overarching problem is the current ownership are mending the disasters that came from the pre-Hellier era. He who shall not be named + COVID + years of apathy and rot from where just enough to cover most of the costs and abject silence was the order of the day.
I do think that while Nicholas (who I enjoyed listening to his banter with the lads) sees a bright future – that brightness doesn’t feel like it’s coming soon to the fanbase. At wild guess, closer to the next 2-3 years seems feasible, given the timeframes we’ve been made aware of on the recent pod. We may see a turning point where we could become competitive to reach playoffs or challenge for something bigger.
While it wasn’t said in these words – and why would a strategic advisor suggests so, it seems clear that unless something unexpected happens (Trophy run, success beyond qualifying rounds in the FA cup 2026, or a sparkling run of league form) this and next season may be more a struggle for those who want immediate success…but even that may not be true, depending on the individual fan opinion. What does YTFC need the most to succeed?
There’s no magic wand but I do believe the ownership has the best interests at heart, and are doing what they can to reverse a decade of decline (except one season!) – this will probably be a long and bumpy journey!