This is becoming something of a habit for Rochdale. Last year it was Leeds United’s fans who watched disconsolately from a stand advertising Clayton Park Bakery and this time the same ignominy was attached to the supporters of a Nottingham Forest side whose season appears to be stuck in decline. Forest’s miserable run now stretches to two wins in 19 matches and, with a trigger-happy owner in charge, the nature of the industry means there have to be legitimate doubts about what it might mean for Stuart Pearce.
Fawaz al-Hasawi was not at this match, having returned to Kuwait over Christmas, but the bulletins from Spotland will leave him cold, particularly bearing in mind the triumphant way that Forest started the season. Rochdale played with all the ingredients of the classic giantkiller, quick to the ball, strong in the tackle and giving everything to hold on to Peter Vincenti’s 12th-minute penalty.
Keith Hill’s men had to defend with great togetherness during a second half when Forest did at least remember they were playing a team from the division below. Yet here, too, was the evidence why Forest have been tumbling down the Championship and how peculiar that Pearce, such a formidable defender in his day, should be in charge of a team with so little nerve. In 12 years as Forest’s inspirational left-back, Pearce was famous for his veins-popping screams, biceps-clenched salutes and thighs that could crack a Brazil nut. How this team could do with a bit of that old Psycho spirit.
Instead, it was the team that currently sits ninth in League One that showed the greater knowhow during the first-ever meeting between the two sides. Rochdale might have spent their entire existence in the lower leagues but Hill’s team showed here why it would be wrong to think of them as the classic muck-and-nettles stereotype. There was some decent passing football from the third-tier side, allied to a phenomenal work-rate, pressing high up the pitch to prevent their opponents playing out from the back. Before last season Rochdale had not made it to the fourth round for 11 years; they have now managed it twice in succession at the expense of two Championship clubs with long histories of success.
Vincenti, a free transfer 18 months ago after coming to the end of his contract at Aldershot Town, had his chance from the penalty spot after a clumsy challenge by Michail Antonio on the attacking right-back Joe Rafferty that was uppermost in Pearce’s thinking when he talked afterwards about his team’s habit of making “elementary mistakes”. Pearce said his team was struggling to “work under pressure” and his discomfort was obvious after a day when one side had a £5.5m signing in attack and the other contained six homegrown players and an assortment of free transfers.
Unusually, Hill declined to do any interviews afterwards, asking his assistant Chris Beech to step in, and nobody could ever accuse Rochdale of milking it bearing in mind a message was also sent out that none of the victorious players would be talking about it either. No matter. Rochdale can still look forward to a rare burst of publicity and, though they were subjected to a late onslaught, they could also point out that by the end of the first half their lead should have been commanding.
Vincenti missed a wonderful chance to score a second and there was an even better opportunity for Matthew Done after the Forest captain, Jack Hobbs, perhaps rusty after returning from injury, underhit a backpass to his goalkeeper Dorus de Vries. Forest were rattled and lucky that Done, having rounded De Vries, could not apply the finishing touch. Jamie Allen was crowded out with the follow-up effort and that chance epitomised Forest’s early vulnerability.
Rochdale were pinned back during periods of the second half but, like every good Cup team, they benefited from the occasional moment of fortune during several goalmouth scrambles. Forest also had a couple of penalty claims of their own but Pearce did not focus on it afterwards. Lars Veldwijk flashed a header wide in his one of his few moments of threat. Josh Lillis, Rochdale’s goalkeeper, tipped another effort from the Dutchman over the crossbar and kept out Britt Assombalonga when Forest’s leading scorer ran clear. Yet Rochdale held out and the embattled Pearce is relying on Hasawi showing a degree of patience that has not always been there since he took control of the club.
