With the recent rain decimating the amateur fixture list Prestwich took up the option to switch this fixture to a 3G surface, and whilst these games tend not to have the same feel of a game on grass Prestwich played some neat football to gain 3 valuable points, with the only disappointment being the failure to underline their dominance with more goals.
Prestwich took a grip on the game from the first minute dominating possession on the huge playing area. With Steve Murty returning from injury on the left wing and in form Mike Neary on the right they packed a really potent threat from both sides, both players seeming to have the ability to go past players at will giving the side such a nice attacking balance.
Having spurned several chances it came as no surprise when they took the lead on 14 mins when a typical run by Murty saw him twist and turn at pace down the left to feed Prestwich’s Spanish maestro David Prieto, some 15 yards out, still with a couple of defenders between him and goal Prieto jinked left then right to make the space to bend a superb shot just inside the right hand post giving the unsighted keeper no chance.
There followed a frustrating period when it was perplexing how the game remained at 1-0 such was the number of chances created, Prieto, Murty, Neary and the normally so clinical Sean Haslam all missed golden opportunities to score.
With temperatures running at 2 degrees Prestwich took the opportunity of new LA League rules allowing rotating subs to keep the full 14 man squad active, and just when they were starting to become frustrated at the number of missed chances another of the side ‘international stars’ provided the touch of class that was needed to ram home their superiority minutes after joining the fray on 38 mins.
Flicking the ball over and round a couple of players Belgian youngster Quentin Jacob threaded a perfectly weighted through ball to release Neary through on goal, he kept his composure to finish neatly low and hard past the keeper to make it 2-0 at half time.
The pattern continued into the second half with Prestwich dominant but spurning chances, although there was a brief casual spell that saw Rochdale make some inroads on the Prestwich goal, but Richard Steadman and Sam Holden were just too strong at the base of the defence and keeper Mike Hudson’s main concern largely remained keeping warm.
The third and final goal came in the 53rd minute when Adam Rhoden held the ball up well to play in Murty who like Neary in the first half showed great composure to pick his spot.
With Neary, Murty and Haslam a constant menace to the Rochdale defence the failure to add to the 3 goals was baffling as Haslam in particular missed three opportunities to score that would normally have proved routine for such a prolific marksman.
It remained 3-0 though and just as pleasing as the 3 goals scored was the clean sheet, with Hudson, Steadman, Holden and full backs Tom Gibson and Andy Davison looking composed and authoritive throughout the game to completely stifle the Rochdale attack which augers well for the sterner tests ahead.
