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Rochdale’s 97th minute winner against Sutton marred by players and staff clashing at full time

by sports••0
Rochdale’s 97th minute winner against Sutton marred by players and staff clashing at full time

Rochdale’s 97th minute winner against Sutton ended up being marred by players and staff clashing at full time.

Ian Henderson secured a dramatic comeback victory, sparking wild scenes amongst the away support, watch the cameraman in the first video below.

Charlie Bell’s superb long-range strike had put the hosts ahead with 12 minutes remaining, with Dale looking like they were set for a surprise defeat.

But an 89th minute goal from Devante Rodney had Jimmy McNulty’s men level, then came Henderson’s winner.

Meanwhile for 2nd placed York, they picked up three points thanks to Ollie Pearce’s penalty only goal of the game, back to winning ways after a surprise 3-1 defeat to Gateshead in midweek, York stay three points behind leaders Rochdale.

Rochdale’s Jim McNulty said post-match: “The dramatic ending was incredible. of course, um stuff that you’ll remember forever because yeah, football every now and again throws you these days where you have dramatic turns of events in in the final few moments of a game.

“But I think just the players belief to keep going. I had concerns prior to this game around our energy levels and I thought the margins of this game might be really tight and it could be tricky knowing that how Sutton play.

“I thought with them playing Tuesday and us playing Wednesday, their game on Tuesday, the goalkeeper got sent off for Eastleigh after two minutes. They played against 10 men for 89 minutes and had the ball the whole game able to get their players off the pitch to rest.

“I think you know the travel down also for us ended up being a very very long one and there was just a lot of factors that had an impact on our energy levels today and because of that and the way they play and the
combination of that it made it a very difficult game very very tricky and all credit to Sutton I thought they were very good, their front four particularly the level of work rate was was yeah was admirable and it was a very difficult game. Very difficult.

“But my eyes were wide open going in to that. So, I was yeah, I was conditioned to that on the side of the
pitch. It wasn’t stressing me in that regard. Of course, when they go one up, a goal I’ve not actually seen yet because I was preparing a sub.

“I was facing the other way, so I’ve not even seen that goal. It challenges us emotionally and belief and everything else, but this team throughout this season has never lacked belief and yeah, no one gave us 98 points. No one gave us that for free.

“So we’ve shown a lot of things that were evident in the final moments of that game that ultimately gave us a moment of pure elation and then absolute carnage full time when everyone’s tearing each other’s heads off. I don’t really know what happened there.

“I know we talk about the belief in the character, but to find those moments of quality, particularly the first goal devs finish, Connor’s cross, but the second as well just sums the group up. It does. And we needed those finishes today and we needed it early.

“We made those subs early again, the prior thinking of we’re going to be down on energy perhaps and and yeah, I think that togetherness that that willingness to making five subs all going on to you
know give absolute energy when it was needed and yeah again to repeat to not lose belief that we could still take something from the game.

“I think to be honest like if we’d have took a 1-1 it wouldn’t have been a bad result at that stage and I think everyone was was pretty high at the 1-1 but the way the team just continued to go for it and the way the sudden momentum felt the team went for the jugular and yeah I’m really proud of them.”

Here’s the social media reaction on Rochdale’s 97th minute winner against Sutton marred by players and staff clashing at full time…

@Shrimptank2011: The Photographer – watch him at the end 🤣🤣

@izzywhiteleyx: I just love our camera man at the end 😭🥹 GET INNNNNNN my club 💙

@dolan21sha: All down to Sutton management and players acting like baby’s just cause they got beat the manager acting like a twat pushing and then their player comes out of nowhere

@cheesygravypls: Rochdale surely heavy fines and suspensions. Appalling behaviour. Nowt will happen though.

@UBlockDale1907: just because your losing 🎵 Fair play to the boys, awful conditions. Sutton did a job on us they looked good defensively until last 5 mins. Dev with an unreal finish & Hendo what a finish at the end again. We were dreadful but took all 3. Is that what champions do? Up the play till we score Blues #RAFC

@sameoldcitypod: I think the correct course of action after such scenes is to deduct Rochdale, let’s say, 18 points.

@GioDee_10: Ref played 90 seconds more than the indicated 5 for no reason, there were no stoppages in the 5. They score, whole bench runs across the pitch to celebrate with no sanction. Final whistle blows. Avoidable. Scenes nobody wants to see. But everyone does really.

@RochdaleAFCcom: Generational head loss from @HaydenMullerr 🤯🧂 #RAFC

@IOS1922: Hmmmm. Going to be an interesting refs report into this 👀.

@JacobAWright96: Never seen anything like it. Could have cried at the end there. Hendo 💙

@dylan_rafc: The passion from this group of lads is incredible and it’s one step further to what we all are hoping for, regardless of how we played 3 points is 3 points and hendo with a vital one again🐐onto morecambe✊💙#rafc

@FGR_sean37: This league is just written for Rochdale to win it. Fairplay they keep going until the end scoring late goals

@TimHickman1994: Utterly ridiculous that one of York and Rochdale are almost certainly going to finish on 100+ points in the national league and have to settle for the playoffs. Simply cannot be allowed to continue with having only one automatic promotion spot anymore.

@NathanAsh66: Okay I’ve calmed a bit, if you told me Rochdale would hit ONE HUNDRED POINTS before the start of this season I probably would have laughed at you. What a club man, 2 points off being Centurions! Only 5 Cup finals left 💙

@StoicBryan: This Rochdale/York race is one of the most fascinating things I’ve seen in the football league for some time. Both deserve to go up, but one of them might not 😮.

@RochdaleFan: OH MY GODDDD!! Probably our worst performance of the season and what looked nailed on points dropped, but somehow we found a way. That is what ‘champions’ do! Never say die. We take the massive 3 points and get out of there. Up The Fucking Dale! #RAFC

@CharlieRafc: My heart is still thumping 😁⚽️ #RAFC

@stjambo: Love photographer fist pumps at the end. Gove me this over sterile EPL any day of the week

@YorkshireAFM: Play until you win



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