Brian Barry-Murphy believes Rochdale are a team to be feared

Posted Saturday, April 17, 2021 by PA

Brian Barry-Murphy says relegation-threatened Rochdale are a dangerous team to be facing right now after a 3-1 win against Accrington.

Dale ended a six-month wait for a home win four days before the clash against John Coleman’s men, and back-to-back victories breathed new life into their survival bid, lifting them off the foot of the League One table.

Ben Barclay cancelled out Jimmy Keohane’s opening goal, but second-half strikes from Jake Beesley and Conor Shaughnessy moved Dale three points from safety.

“We feel we’re a dangerous team at a dangerous stage of the season,” said Barry-Murphy.

“It takes so much courage to play the way we did, control the game and break from deep areas of the pitch.

“The movement of the lads had been rehearsed during the week but to do it in the heat of the battle is another thing.

“When we conceded and continued to make the same movements and play the same way I felt it was very significant, it confirmed to us that our lads are in good form, in a very good place and we are very excited for the rest of the season.”

Keohane’s curling effort in the 10th minute edged Dale ahead but a towering header three minutes later from Barclay quickly wiped out the advantage.

Conor Grant struck the post for Dale while Stanley had the ball in the net just after half-time only for the referee to rule it out for a foul in the packed six-yard area.

The home side regained their lead in the 66th minute when Aaron Morley’s free-kick was glanced goalwards by Gabriel Osho, Toby Savin made the save but Beesley pounced on the rebound to score.

And a miscued clearance from Savin in stoppage time fell to Shaughnessy, with the substitute stroking the ball into the empty net from 40 yards.

Stanley boss Coleman is concerned by his team’s inconsistent form.

“We’re turning into a Jekyll and Hyde team,” he said.

“We ran ourselves into the ground on Tuesday (against Blackpool), maybe put too much into it, but we looked a shadow of the team we were on Tuesday, just as we looked a shadow of the team we were at Wimbledon last Saturday.

“We can’t keep going high and low, high and low. We have got to get some consistency and there is none in our play at the minute.

“We’re getting caught between two stools, when to go long, when to play short and we’re not making incisive passes, we’re going backwards a lot. We’re not hurting teams enough, we didn’t work their goalkeeper any near enough.

“We have to show better than that because we are better than that and plenty of teams have found out in League One this season that we are better than that. But we can’t run in insipid performances and it’s now getting a bit more regular than I’d like.”