Rochdale vs Truro City – Match Report

Enterprise National League

By Tom Howe, Spotland, Saturday.

Rochdale 2 – Truro City 0

Truro City’s four-match unbeaten run is at an end following a 2-0 defeat at National League title chasers Rochdale, writes Tom Howe.

The hosts raced out of the traps and were ahead after only three minutes thanks to Tyler Smith’s neat finish. Ian Henderson, who marked his 500th appearance for Dale on what was his 41st birthday, doubled their lead ten minutes before the break, having sent a spot kick wide 60 seconds earlier.

The woodwork prevented Aidan Barlow and Harvey Gilmour from extending their side’s advantage during a first-half in which Jimmy McNulty’s men underlined their credentials as potential step one champions.

Only divine intervention prevented a third Dale goal in the opening exchanges of the second period, with the post struck twice more and three blocks made during a quite incredible passage of play, as the Tinners worked hard to keep the scoreline down against illustrious opposition.

City manager John Askey named an unchanged side from Tuesday night’s 3-3 draw against Brackley Town when, despite falling two goals behind, Truro rallied superbly with strikes from Dominic Johnson-Fisher, Tom Harrison and Luke Jephcott turning the contest on its head, only for the visitors to hit back through Morgan Roberts as the points were shared.

It marked a third successive draw for the Tinners and extended their unbeaten run to five of their last six matches – a remarkable reaction to the six straight defeats they suffered not so long ago. That resilience had dragged them back into contention at the foot of the table, leaving them just four points shy of 20th-placed Braintree Town with a game in hand going into Saturday’s action.

As they did in midweek, City were forced into naming just six substitutes, with the influential Will Dean sitting out the second of his three-match suspension following a dismissal against Tamworth. Out of the squad on a permanent basis meanwhile, have gone Aidan Marsh (Harrogate Town), Cole Deeming (Cheltenham Town via parent club West Bromwich Albion) and Seidou Sanogo (released).

📷Liam Hogan of Rochdale competes for the ball with Dominic Johnson-Fisher of Truro City during the National League Match between Rochdale and Truro City at Crown Oil Arena on 24 January 2026. Photo: Steve Flynn/PPAUK

Among the six on the bench were new arrivals Jack Stretton, who made his City bow as a late substitute against Brackley, and George Cooper, who was yet to turn out in City’s colours, having been an unused sub on two occasions since joining on loan from Mansfield Town until the end of the season.

Starting again was Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain who retained his ever-present status – the only player to have featured in every City match this season – as 22nd-placed Truro travelled to a side sitting second in the table and only a point behind leaders York City with three games in hand.

They were in front after three minutes, as Smith shot past Aidan Stone, whose opposite number Oliver Whatmuff did well to hold on to a fierce Tyler Harvey free-kick in the attack that followed. Henderson and teammate Harvey Gilmour both shot wide as Dale looked to put paid to any risk of another City fightback, with the travelling Tinners restricted to half chances at best.

A mini spell of authority included Jephcott’s winning of possession high up the field but his resulting ball into the box drifted inches wide of an awaiting Harvey, allowing the hosts to hook clear and increase the pressure once again. Barlow and Gilmour were each a lick of paint away from adding to their team’s tally, with Stone’s woodwork rattled twice, either side of Henderson’s penalty miss – following a foul by Billy Palfrey – and subsequent second.

Stretton replaced Johnson-Fisher at the turn of the second stanza but it did little to upset the rhythm of Rochdale, who were left scratching their heads as to how they weren’t further in front after the Tinners threw bodies in the way of three quickfire attempts during a series of events that also saw the post struck on two further occasions.

The respective teams, with their eyes firmly on different targets at distinctly different ends of the table, took the opportunity to make a number of changes, which rather disrupted proceedings from then on and led to a drying up of chances. That was until Kyron Gordon, who scored the winner in Dale’s 1-0 win at The TCS in September’s corresponding fixture, forced a strong one-handed save out of Stone with a low drive.

On came Ryan Law and Zac Bell, making his first appearance since the 4-0 FA Trophy defeat at Southend United on December 13th, as Askey made the best of the hand dealt to him by injuries, suspension and a congested fixture list. Rather than down tools, they actually ended the game in positive fashion, forcing Dale further and further back but without seriously testing Whatmuff, the impressive 18-year-old on loan from Premier League giants Manchester City.

The final chance of the game actually fell to a rather unlikely source in centre-half Shaun Donnellan, whose effort ricocheted off a defender and spun wide during four minutes of additional time, during which Dale saw the game out to keep the pressure on table topping York – who were 5-0 victors over Braintree.

The gap between 16th‑placed Eastleigh and the pair of Truro and Morecambe – who remain level on 21 points – has grown to ten. Meanwhile, Sutton United’s 1-0 win at Tamworth lifts them out of the relegation zone and increases City’s deficit to safety to five points, ahead of their next National League outing at Morecambe themselves (Saturday, February 7).

Before that however, a quarter-final against Braintree awaits in the National League Cup at The TCS on Tuesday evening – 7.00pm

Tinners: Stone, Riley-Lowe (capt), Harrison, Harvey, Palfrey (Bell, 74), Johnson-Fisher (Stretton, 45), Oxlade-Chamberlain, Hasani, Jephcott (Law, 59), Donnellan, Charsley; Subs Not Used: Lavercombe, Kinsey, Cooper

Rochdale: Whatmuff, Gordon (capt), Hogan, Allarakhia (Pritchard, 79), Gilmour, Adebayo-Rowling (Moss, 65), Pettit, Barlow, Perry (Tutonda, 79), Smith (McBride, 41), Henderson (Dieseruvwe, 65); Subs Not Used: East, Rodney

Referee: Paul Marsden

Attendance: 3,239

📷Connor Riley-Lowe of Truro City competes for a header with during the National League Match between Rochdale and Truro City at Crown Oil Arena on 24 January 2026. Photo: Steve Flynn/PPAUK

John Askey Post Match Reaction

by Gareth Davies

Boss John Askey said his Truro City side’s slow start against Rochdale was the root cause of a 2-0 defeat at Rochdale.

The away reverse, which ended City’s run of four games unbeaten, saw the visitors fall behind inside three minutes when Tyler Smith slotted home.

That set the tone for the rest of the opening 45 as Rochdale were twice denied by the woodwork and missed a penalty too. Veteran striker Ian Henderson, celebrating 500 games for Dale and on his 41st birthday, atoned for missing from the spot by dispatching 10 minutes before the break to leave Truro with a mountain to climb.

“We knew it was going to be tough at Rochdale because they are doing well and a good team,” Askey said at full-time. “But we shot ourselves in the foot in the opening minutes and if it was a hard enough task beforehand, conceding so early on made it really tough.”

Despite being very much on the back foot throughout the opening 45, City were much-improved after the turnaround, with Askey pointing out that if his charges had scored in the second stanza, the game may have been different.

“I didn’t think the game was over at half-time,” the 61-year-old City boss added. “I wasn’t happy with the way we played in the first half and you are quite obviously never happy with going in at half-time 2-0 down.

“But I did think that with the wind being quite strong and in our favour, if we could put them under a bit of pressure early on, then nick one, you never know. It didn’t quite pan out like that and it wasn’t until the final 20 minutes that we got a bit of momentum.

“When we did start to see a bit more of the ball, we were still thinking that because they didn’t score a third, there was still a chance for us, but it wasn’t to be.

“All you can do is learn from these games and then when you play the lesser teams, hopefully we will be a bit stronger.

“I’d never question the players for their spirit, but we’ve got to make sure we keep going until the end of the season because we’re desperate to stay in this league.”

📷Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain of Truro City under pressure from Aidan Barlow of Rochdale during the National League Match between Rochdale and Truro City at Crown Oil Arena on 24 January 2026. Photo: Steve Flynn/PPAUK