Bath University
Rochdale Keen Supporters (The BURKS)
Last update 6th May 2018
·
Welcome
to the home page of some of Rochdale AFC's
semi-detached supporters from down south, now in their 40th season
of following the 'Dale. This is accessed via: http://www.theburks.org
·
Formed
on 4th November 1978 (Rochdale 2, Crewe
Alexandra 1), the BURKS have been following the 'Dale's footballing fortunes through
thick and (mainly) thin ever since. Loyal to the club in the face of adversity,
the BURKS match attendances from December '79 to November '83 went without
seeing a single win. And then it was not until May 1985 that another win could
be celebrated.
·
The
BURKS database which details the matches attended over the years can be
accessed via this link.
Season
2017-18
·
The
40th BURKS season was probably the most memorable of all, with a run
to the FA Cup Fifth Round, with a home tie against Tottenham and a replay at
Wembley, and a dramatic final set of games that ended in survival in League
One. 199 caps awarded for the 22 games attended, with a record 26 new caps. The following were the award winners:
1. Rookie of the Year – Mark Burden (3
Caps)
2. BURK of the Year – Barry Gigg & Nick Carter (14 Caps)
·
Tom
Cross and his wife Tania were at Spotland to see Dale
dramatically beat Charlton 1-0 to retain their League One status for another
season.
·
Seventeen
BURKS, including 2 new caps, saw Dale lose 2-1 to Oxford that meant League One survival was out
of their hands on the final day of the season.
·
Duncan
& Amy Battman were at Spotland
for the crucial relegation 6 pointer with Oldham, which ended 0-0.
·
Five
BURKS were at Peterborough,
where Dale memorably won 1-0, having played most of the second half with 10
men.
·
The
annual BOYOS match was attended by 11 BURKS, who saw Dale win 1-0 at promotion
chasing Rotherham.
·
Cup
fever had taken a hold, as 62 tickets were bought for the 5th Round
FA Cup Replay with Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley. Unfortunately, due the
freezing weather and snow, 44 BURKS were at the game, including 17 new caps,
which was just short of the record of 48. Despite losing 6-1, there was the
memorable equaliser from Steve Humphrys to saviour
and a 1-1 half time score. The match was
Bob Champion’s 100th Cap, which took him 38 years to achieve. Also,
Helen Blanchard attended her first match since October 1994.
·
For
what was arguably Rochdale’s biggest ever home match, 22 BURKS were at Spotland for the 5th Round FA Cup tie with
Tottenham Hotspur, which ended in 2-2 draw, following a dramatic 93rd
minute equaliser from Stephen Davies.
·
Nine
BURKS, including new caps for Charles Dunsby and Ben
Farrington, went to the 3-2 midweek defeat to Bristol Rovers.
·
Four
BURKS were at the FA Cup 4th Replay at home to Millwall,
where Dale won 1-0 to set up a 5th round home tie against Tottenham
Hotspur
·
Four
BURKS were at Northampton
to Dale win 1-0, their first league away win for 10 months.
·
Fifteen
BURKS were at Millwall to see Dale draw 2-2 in an
exciting FA Cup fourth round match. First cap for Benjamin Curnow and Tessa
Bell attended her first match since 2003.
·
As
a pre-cursor to Chris Bates’ 60th Birthday party, 12 BURKS were at
Gillingham, where Dale lost 2-1, with first caps for Mark Burden and Jess Efezeybek. The match was a milestone for Paul Blanchard,
who reached 300 caps.
·
Four
BURKS were at Doncaster where Dale
unexpectedly won 1-0 in the FA Cup third round.
·
Felix
Delongchamp became the first 6th
Generation BURK when accompanying his daughter (Tania) and son-in-law (Tom
Cross) to the 2-1 home defeat to Blackpool on New Year’s Day.
·
10
BURKS where at Slough for the FA Cup second round tie with non-league Slough
Town, where Dale won 4-0.
·
10
BURKS, including new cap John Ball where at the midweek game at Charlton, where
Dale lost 2-1, where Nick Carter got his 200th cap.
·
Dunc
Battman made a solo trip to see Dale lose 3-1 in the
local derby with Oldham.
·
Tom
Cross and two other BURKS were at Spotland to see
Dale beat Bromley 4-0 in the first round of the FA Cup.
·
Four
BURKS were at AFC Wimbledon, where Dale drew
0-0 in dull game.
·
On
the way to starting the Dales Way,
four BURKS were at the home game with Blackburn
Rovers, where Dale were well beaten 3-0.
·
Four
BURKS made the trip to Southend to see Dale draw 0-0.
·
The
40th BURKS season started with an opening day 2-0 defeat to Portsmouth at a packed Fratton Park,
a match in which Barry Gigg got his 100th
cap.
Season
2016-17
·
The
39th BURKS season saw 133 caps awarded for the 22 games attended.
The following were the award winners:
1. Rookie of the Year – Pat Hill (5 Caps)
2. BURK of the Year – Nick Carter (14 Caps)
·
The
annual BOYOS match was attended by 10 BURKS to see Dale lose 1-0 to Shrewsbury in the spring
sunshine.
·
Five
BURKS, including new cap James Morgan-Snowley, saw
the midweek 3-1 loss to AFC Wimbledon.
·
To
ensure keeping the lead in the race for BURKS of the year, Nick Carter &
Alan Wilson were at Chesterfield,
where Dale won 3-1.
·
Just
three BURKS went to MK Dons, where Dale drew 2-2.
·
Five
BURKS saw Dale lose 3-1 at Perterborough.
·
Two
more new BURKS (Andy & Helena Perry) were amongst the five BURKS who saw
Dale lose 1-0 to Bolton Wanderers.
·
Thirteen
BURKS were at the FA Cup Fourth Round match at Spotland
against Huddersfield, where Dale lost 4-0.
Danial Bhangar made his debut at the match.
·
Tom
Cross recruited more new caps for the game against Oxford at Spotland, where Dale lost 4-0. There were debuts at this
match for Bryan Friedman and Ashly Foote, with Ashly Foote becoming the 300th
BURK.
·
Six
BURKS were in the home end at Barrow to see Dale win 2-0 in the FA Cup Third
Round.
·
Tom
Cross and gang were back at Spotland to see Dale beat
top of the table Scunthorpe 3-2. There were
debuts at this match for Tania Delongchamp and Julia Gorgemans.
·
Four
BURKS went to Gillingham to see Dale lose 3-0.
·
Tom
Cross, back from his travels and living in Manchester, went to the Swindon home
match, which Dale won 4-0. Pat Hill from the USA made his debut at the match.
·
A
94th minute equaliser in the FA Cup First Round at Maidstone, to
enable Dale to escape with a 1-1 draw was seen by 13 BURKS, including Thom
Critchley who made his debut.
·
A
second defeat in 4 days was seen by five BURKS at Coventry, where Dale lost 2-0.
·
Five
BURKS made the midweek trip to Swindon to see
Dale lose 3-0
·
Duncan
Battman and the Weston family made a rare appearance
at Spotland to see Dale win 3-0. To continue the
season of comebacks, Chris Weston’s third cap was awarded 17 years after his
second.
·
Eight
BURKS were awarded caps at Charlton, where Dale’s good run continued with a 1-0
win.
·
Six
BURKS were at Millwall to see Dale memorably win 3-2.
This match was notable for Catherine Blanchard making her first appearance
since Orient in 1999 and coincidently exactly 28 years to the day of her first
match at Grimsby
in 1988. Catherine also has fallen victim of having to pay full price.
·
Three
BURKS made the trip to Bristol
Rovers to see Dale draw 2-2.
·
Alan
Wilson (Uncle Al) got his 200th Cap, who along with Barry Gigg were at Oxford
to see Dale lose 1-0.
·
The
39th BURKS season got under way with 8 BURKS making the trip on a
hot summer’s evening to Queens
Park Rangers, where Dale
lost 2-1. This match was notable for Sarah Bates making her first appearance
since Charlton in January 2005 and now having to pay full price to get in.
·
Season
2015-16
·
The
38th BURKS season saw 61 caps awarded for the 11 games attended. The
following were the award winners:
a) Rookie of the Year – Tom Tickner &
Jack Chatwin (2 Caps)
b) BURK of the Year – Nick Carter (9 Caps)
·
Ten
BURKS made the first ever trip to Port Vale, where Dale were beaten 4-1
·
Five
BURKS made the trip to Peterborough,
to see Dale win 2-1.
·
Seven
BURKS were at Coventry,
where Dale won 1-0 with a last minute penalty.
·
The
2-0 defeat at Crewe was seen by 4 BURKS
·
Five
BURKS saw perhaps one the best performance ever seen as Dale won 3-0 at league
leaders Walsall.
·
The
2-1 defeat at Swindon was seen by seven BURKS
·
Just
three BURKS made the midweek trip to Gillingham,
where Dale lost 2-0
·
Four
BURKS saw Dale come back from 2 down to draw 2-2 at Southend
·
James
Webb on a weekend visit to the University of Manchester got to Spotland to see Dale lose 3-1 to Bradford City, which was
his 50th cap.
·
Nine
BURKS and new cap Zakir Asver saw Dale lose 3-1 at Millwall.
·
For
the first game of the season, two BURKS and new caps Tom Tickner and Jack Chatwin saw Dale lose 1-0 at Burton.
Season
2014-15
·
The
Boyos weekend took in the last game of the season at Barnsley,
where 10 BURKS saw Dale lose 5-0.
·
Four
BURKS were at the game at Gillingham, where Dale had 2 players sent off and
lost 1-0
·
Nick
Carter made the trip on Good Friday to Preston
to see Dale lose 1-0
·
Alan
Wilson made a welcome return to the fold and attended the 2-1 win at Notts County
to move to 198 caps, alongside new cap Martin Smith.
·
Seven
BURKS were in attendance at Bristol
City, where Dale were
beaten 1-0.
·
Four
BURKS saw the 2-1 defeat at Peterborough
United.
·
Nick
Webb and son James made the midweek trip up to Walsall, where Dale lost 3-2.
·
The
regular five BURKS were on duty for the first visit to The Ricoh Arena to see
Dale draw 2-2 against Coventry
City in an entertaining
match.
·
Nine
BURKS made the trip to Spotland to see Dale pull off
a shock 1-0 FA Cup win against Nottingham Forest in the third round.
·
Duncan
and Joe Battman saw the games against Colchester away (won 4-1) and Fleetwood home (lost 0-2).
·
Eight
BURKS went to Aldershot for the Sunday
afternoon FA Cup second round match that ended 0-0.
·
Duncan
Battman made a solo trip to Spotland
to see Dale beaten 3-0 by Oldham.
·
An
excellent 2-2 draw midweek at MK Dons was seen by 6 BURKS.
·
The
FA Cup 1st Round match at Northampton was watched by four BURKS, where Dale
played most of the game with 10 men and got a well deserved 0-0 draw and had
chances to win.
·
Four
BURKS saw Dale win 3-0 at Yeovil to make it 3 wins out of 3 with 10 goals
scored.
·
A thrilling
stoppage time winner at Swindon, where Dale
won 3-2, was seen by five BURKS and a new cap, making the midweek trip well
worth while.
·
A
new season in League 1 got off to a winning start as 3 BURKS saw Dale ease to a
4-0 win at Crawley.
Season
2013-14
·
Having
sealed promotion the previous week, 10 BURKS were at Newport to see if Dale could go up as
champions. However, Dale were beaten 2-1 and had to settle for third place
after the last game of the season.
·
Hopes
for promotion were restored with a 2-1 win at Bristol Rovers on Easter Monday, which was
seen by 4 BURKS.
·
Duncan
and Joe Battman were back at Spotland
on Good Friday to see if Dale could push for promotion. However, Dale were
beaten 3-0 by Southend
·
A
welcome return to the fold for Alan Wilson, who was at the Mansfield game with one other BURK. Dale were
beaten 3-0 by a strong and physical Mansfield
team.
·
Duncan
Battman made a rare appearance at Spotland
to see Dale beat Portsmouth
3-0 to stay top of the table
·
The
two BURKS who made the midweek trip to Northampton
were well rewarded with a comprehensive 3-0 by Dale.
·
Four
BURKS made the trip to Exeter
to see Dale win 1-0
·
Scott
Hogan scored a 16 minute hat-trick in Dale’s 3-0 win at AFC Wimbledon,
which was seen by seven BURKS.
·
Six
BURKS made the pre-Christmas Friday night game at Southend, which ended in a
1-1 draw.
·
A
single BURK made the trip to Rotherham for the FA Cup Second Round tie, which
Dale won 2-1 to set up a third round tie home to Leeds United
·
Our
first win of the season, 2-0 at Torquay in the FA Cup First Round was seen by 5
BURKS.
·
4
BURKS saw Dale beaten 3-1 at Dagenham & Redbridge.
·
The
BURKS season got off to a uneventful start with 10 BURKS, including 2 new caps,
seeing Dale looking a bit overawed playing in front on a big crowd at Portsmouth, losing 3-0.
The match saw Chris Bates reach 300 caps.
Season
2012-13
·
The
season concluded with five BURKS seeing Dale beaten 3-0 by Oxford United in a typical end of season
game.
·
11
BURKS on the annual Boyos weekend saw Dale win 3-0 in their first league visit
to Fleetwood Town.
·
After
34 years of asking, Gary Sainsbury finally got his first cap at Bristol Rovers, where with
four other BURKS, Dale were a little unlucky to lose the match 2-1.
·
Four
BURKS made the last every trip to Underhill to see Dale draw 0-0 with Barnet,
in a game a few chances and very little excitement.
·
Five
BURKS made the trip to Northampton
to see Dale lose 3-1.
·
Six
BURKS combined the football and racing at Cheltenham,
where Dale drew 0-0 on the first game since Keith Hill’s return.
·
Four
BURKS saw Dale lose 2-1 to a stoppage time goal at Dagenham and Redbridge
·
Eight
BURKS saw Dale lose 4-2 at Aldershot, where
the home side doubled their season’s home goal tally of 3 goals in just 45
minutes.
·
Six
BURKS saw dale lose 3-1 at Southend
·
Eight
BURKS saw Dale win 2-1 at Wycombe Wanderers. It was a match that saw Bob
Champion’s 23 year old pre-match drinking record broken by Mick Tickner, who
from 1pm knocked back 7 and a half pints and got into the ground in time for
kick-off.
·
Two
BURKS saw Dale lose 3-1 to Plymouth
Argyle.
·
Four
BURKS saw sweet revenge with a 2-1 win at Gillingham,
the first time back since losing the playoff semi-final in 2009
·
Re-acquaintance
with League 2 at AFC Wimbledon was seen by
just 2 BURKS, as it coincided with the Hadrians Wall
walking trip.
Season
2011-2012
·
Five
BURKS saw the last game of the season at Leyton Orient, where Dale lost 2-1. At
the end of match the Nick Carter was given Neil Byrne’s shirt and earlier Chris
Bates pushed the veterans pre-match drinking record to 5 pints. So ends a
difficult season with no wins seen by the BURKS in 13 games league games
attended. It is now back to League 2 and hopefully to re-build to compete at
the top end of the table next season.
·
Ten
BURKS plus 2 new caps made the first visit to Spotland
for a number of years and saw Dale lose 2-1 to MK Dons in a match played with
the gloom of relegation hanging in the air.
·
Eight
BURKS saw Dale lose 3-1 at Yeovil and move a step closer to relegation.
·
Seven
BURKS saw Dale unable to record a shot on target during their 2-0 defeat to
Brentford.
·
Only
one BURK made the trip to Colchester, where
Dale battled for a nil-nil draw.
·
Three
BURKS saw the midweek 1-1 draw with Charlton, but only 2 were awarded caps. One
of which was to Paul Blanchard, which took him to 250 caps.
·
Eight
BURKS saw a very poor Dale beaten 3-0 at Wycombe Wanderers. Mick Tickner pushed
the veterans pre-match drink record to 4 and a half pints.
·
One
BURK on a ground bagging mission made the trip Sheffield
United to Dale lose 3-0.
·
The
FA Cup run was short again this season. A first trip to Bradford City
was made by 7 BURKS, who saw Dale lose 1-0 to another 35 yarder.
·
3
BURKS made the trip to MK Dons, where Dale lost 3-1. A long season struggling
for League 1 survival is on the cards.
·
With
the worst defence playing the worst attack, something had to give at Exeter. 6 BURKS saw Dale
lose 3-1, in a game that they should have had wrapped up before half-time.
·
4
BURKS made the trip to Bournemouth to see Dale
draw 1-1.
·
The
2-1 League Cup defeat at Aldershot was seen by
5 BURKS. Newcastle
United away will have to wait for another year.
·
Disappointment
for 5 BURKS who saw Dale lose 4-2 at Stevenage.
·
The
new season (and post Hill era) got off to a great start with 12 BURKS seeing
the 2-0 League Cup win at Queens
Park Rangers.
Season
2010-2011
·
The
end of season trip to Bournemouth was seen by
9 BURKS on their annual Boyos weekend, where Dale finished their season in
League One with a 2-1 win.
·
7
BURKS saw Dale lose 3-1 to Charlton on Easter Monday.
·
7
BURKS made the trip to Colchester, where Dale were beaten 1-0 in the Essex sunshine.
·
2
BURKS saw Dale continue their late push for the playoffs with a 2-1 win at Notts County.
·
The
1-1 draw at ‘wind blown’ Swindon
Town was seen by six
BURKS. Normal service was not quite restored for Charlie Webb. Although awarded
a cap, he watched the game with his Dad from the directors box, but did cheer
the Dale goal.
·
Seven
BURKS saw Dale record a successive 1-0 away victory at Yeovil. However there
were eight BURKS at the game. Charlie
Webb’s running out as the Yeovil mascot denied him his cap. However, he did
tell me that Gary Jones was told he was a Rochdale fan while lining up in the
tunnel and that normal service will be resumed at Swindon
in a fortnight’s time.
·
The
first game of 2011 saw five BURKS see Dale grind out a 1-0 win at Dagenham
& Redbridge, where a classy finish from Chris O’Grady was enough to seal
the three points. As far as the BURKS were concerned, this match saw the end of
our good friend Nick Brierley’s 23 years of attending every Rochdale game. In a
text received, he stated it was “the end of the party”. However, having gleaned
some additional information from a close source, it would appear that it is the
start of a new party. One where you get dragged round the shops on a Saturday
afternoon. Good luck Nick!
·
Alan
& Joyce endured the 2-0 defeat at Sheffield
Wednesday sitting with their friends in the home end. We will never know if they would have been brave
enough to have cheered a Rochdale goal.
·
“I’m
not a violent person, but I want to hit the referee!”. These were the words
being shouted amongst the seven BURKS, following an almost criminal decision by
the referee to award Leyton Orient a penalty at the beginning of the second
half. From being on top and cruising at one nil, the match turned on his
ludicrous decision into a 2-1 defeat.
When you lose eight nil, you don’t feel hard done by, but this one
really hurt.
·
Nine
BURKS saw Dale lose 2-1 in a tight game at Bristol Rovers, their third single goal
defeat in a row.
·
Unfortunately
it was a case of ‘after the lord mayor’s show’ following Tuesday’s exploits
against Huddersfield, as 7 BURKS saw Dale lose 1-0 at Exeter. But 16 points from 10 games is a great
start to the season.
·
Local
BURK Dunc Battman was fortunate enough to witness
another great Dale win. This time 3-0 at home against one of the promotion
favourites, Huddersfield
Town.
·
An
unbelievable 2-0 win at Southampton was seen
by nine BURKS and was without doubt one of the best results seen over the past
32 years. Goals from Chris O’Grady and a Gary Jones thunderbolt gave Dale a
superb win and one that will linger in the memory!
·
Less
than 48 hours after walking out of St. Andrews,
we were back at Brentford and 5 BURKS saw a great 3-1 win by Dale. Jason
Kennedy’s first goal for Dale then saw him sent off for celebrating with about
6 Dale fans, who should have advised him to hang back! Dale saw out the
remaining 28 minutes with a few alarms, but a third win in a row at Brentford
was duly accomplished.
·
Despite
traffic jams on the M1 and an unplanned detour up the M6 Toll road, 2 BURKS
made the Thursday evening trip to premiership club Birmingham City
for the 2nd Round League Cup tie. An excellent Dale performance saw
them take the lead before a diabolical penalty decision by the linesman bought
the scores level. 2 early second half goals from the Blues did not stop Dale
and a second goal from Gary Jones set up a final 15 minutes that could not
produce an equaliser. The Thursday
evening trip up to Birmingham
in the rain was well worth the effort.
·
New
territory for the BURKS with 16, including 6 new caps, seeing our first ever
Dale game in the third tier of the English League. A creditable 2-2 draw at
Brighton & Hove Albion saw Gary Jones
capitalise on a howler by their keeper in the second minute of stoppage time to
gift Dale an equaliser.
Season
2009-2010
·
The
BURKS season got off to a winning start with a 2-1 win at Northampton Town
and was watched by 3 BURKS. This match marked Nick Carter’s 100th
cap, some nineteen and a half years after debuting at Crystal Palace
in the FA Cup fifth round. Looking at the records, Will Buckley’s winning goal
was the 100th goal scored by Dale during those 100 games.
·
It
was just like watching Brazil!
The second half performance was possibly the best any of us had seen watching
The Dale over the years. Nine unbelievable minutes against the side top of the
table was seen by 8 BURKS, who talked the match through long into the evening.
Despite Chris Bates’ prediction that Nathan Stanton would get sent off coming
true, Dale won 4-0 with a great display that was capped off with ‘keep ball’ in
the last 10 minutes.
·
There
is ever a dull moment watching Dale these days! This was very much the case for
the 12 BURKS who went to Luton for FA Cup
Round One. The gloom of being 3 down after 28 minutes was removed with a great
second half performance that was capped off with two goals in the last 3
minutes from Joe Thompson to earn Dale a 3-3 draw. The match was also notable
for the introduction of a new pre-match beer drinking record for the BURKS
veterans (Over 50’s). First holders of the record are Chris Bates and Alan
Wilson with a meagre total of 3 pints.
·
It
was another great day out for the 4 BURKS attending the top of the table clash
at Dagenham & Redbridge. A strong second half performance saw Dale come
back from being totally out of the game and fortunate to be just the one goal
down at half-time. A two quick goals mid-way through the second half sealed a
great 2-1 win. A combination of the Hole in the Wall at Waterloo Station and
the Barking Dog in Barking, saw the Veterans Pre-Match drinking record creep
out to 3 and a half pints (shared by Paul Blanchard & Howard Bell).
·
3
BURKS attended the Christmas home match against Morecambe, which Dale won 4-1
·
After
missing out with the postponement of New Year fixture against Rotherham, the
season was back on with seven BURKS attending the midweek fixture at Aldershot. After nearly 3 weeks without a match, a 1-1
draw was a good result for the Dale and kept the momentum of the championship
push.
·
The
4-1 win at Cheltenham
Town that moved Dale nine
points clear at the top of the table was seen by nine BURKS. A Chris O’Grady
hat-trick and a goal from Craig Dawson made it another great day in this
unbelievable season.
·
2
BURKS attended the crucial home game against Rotherham,
which Dale won 4-0.
·
A
BURKS weekend in Shrewsbury
saw eight BURKS attend the match, which Dale won 1-0 with a goal from Joe
Thompson. Paul Blanchard pushed the veteran’s pre-match drinking record to four
pints.
·
3
BURKS made the Easter trip to Chesterfield,
which the BURKS unbeaten record for the season broken by a 2-0 defeat with both
goals being penalties. However, it’s still looking good fro promotion!
·
A
win at Torquay would have taken Dale up. However, a 5-0 nil defeat and their
worst performance of the season by far was seen by 4 BURKS hoping for a
promotion party in Devon. To quote Chris Bates “That’s more like it!”.
·
The
promotion match against Northampton
was missed by the BURKS. After 32 years of support that started at home to Crewe in front of a crowd of just 1,325, it has been
great to watch Dale win promotion this season, despite the fall away in form in
the last month. The 3 goals in nine minutes at Bournemouth
was probably the highlight.
·
2
BURKS with not far to travel for the top v second clash at Notts County,
saw Dale lose 1-0.
·
10
BURKS combined their annual Boyos weekend with a trip to Hereford. With promotion secured, Dale lost a
low-key game 2-1.
·
7
BURKS attended the final game of the season at Barnet, where Dale lost 1-0.
Losing seven of the last nine matches has taken the edge off a great season.
Life in League One is likely to be tough next season and we’ll there to support
the team whatever their league position is. Just like the old days.
Season
2008-2009
·
The
BURKS season got under way with a 2-1 win at Notts
County, watched by four BURKS (the
local Nottingham Contingent plus Chris &
Robbie Bates making the most of half-term break).
·
The
kind turnstile operators at Brentford took pity on some of the 9 BURKS
attending and admitting some into the ground as seniors. Another great 2-1 win
was made the sweeter this season by not having to watch the Boat Race after the
game!
·
Cup
fever hit Barnet a week later, where 15 BURKS saw a rather low-key 1-1 draw.
Howard Bell became the fourth BURK to hit the milestone of 200 caps. Howard’s
100th Cap was also in the cup, the famous match at Gretna in 1991 and his debut at Tranmere in
1979 for the second round cup tie.
·
4
BURKS braved a cold night for the midweek match at Gillingham,
where Dale took a creditable point. A great save by Sam Russell kept us in the
game at 1-0 before Adam le Fondre majestically curled
a twenty yarder into the top right hand corner for a share of the spoils.
·
A
very disappointing defeat at Forest Green
Rovers in the second round of the cup was seen by 6 BURKS. No complaints, as
Dale were beaten by the better side who were clearly ‘up’ for the match. Good
luck to FGR in the next round.
·
The
4-1 tonking at Exeter
was seen by 8 BURKS. Although it was nice to go back to Exeter, it has never been a happy hunting
ground, with just one win in 13 visits. After a gap of 6 years, normal service
at Exeter has
been resumed.
·
Nine
BURKS came away from the game at Dagenham & Redbridge wondering how this
one got away. A very encouraging attacking performance was under minded when we
conceded two late goals. If only Evil had buried his last minute chance.
·
A
great first half performance by Dale saw a 4-0 scoreline
to “The Football League” and was seen by 13 BURKS, including 4 making their
debut. A special mention for Pete Crouch, who got his second cap 23 years and 8
months after his first.
·
Only
three BURKS attended the midweek game at Barnet, where Dale’s promotion push
was dented with a 2-1 defeat in wet and windy conditions. It would have been
four BURKS, but the Webmaster had to ‘watch’ the match from his hospital bed on
the Sky Sports vidiprinter.
·
In
the spring sunshine at Wycombe, 12 BURKS saw Dale put on a great performance
that was rewarded with a last minute goal to win the game 1-0. The match saw an
unbelievable ‘miss’ by Wycombe in the first half, after Frank Fielding lost the
ball on the touchline, he somehow managed to chase back, put in a tackle and
then get back in the goal to make a save!
·
The
BURKS retirees saw the disappointing 3-0 midweek defeat at Chesterfield, which is a big blow to the
automatic promotion hopes. The defeat was harder for them, as Jack Lester used
to live in the flat above them in his Nottingham Forest
days.
·
Promotion
jitters and a very poor performance at Bournemouth
was seen by 11 BURKS. The mood at the end was in total contrast to the euphoria
following the win at Wycombe. It reminded us of the reason we all support Rochdale in the first place.
·
A
strong second half performance at Luton after
a half-time shake up was seen by eight BURKS. The draw was enough to secure a
successive place in the play-offs and a great achievement by the club. When
walking into the ground it was strange to walk under someone’s bedroom having
gone through the turnstile. Good luck to Luton
in their bid to get back in the league next season.
·
Bob
Champion, son Connor and two new caps saw the end of season home defeat by Gillingham. Bob has managed 4 caps this season. His
previous 4 caps spanned 9 years!
·
The
play-off semi final defeat at Gillingham was
seen by 7 BURKS. A valiant effort from Dale was not quite enough and we could
have snatched an equaliser at the death. It has been a really good season, with
the highlight being the win at Wycombe. We will be back again next year, with
some familiar venues back on the scene. Up the Dale!
Season
2007 / 2008
·
A
rather subdued start to our thirtieth season supporting the 'Dale. A solo
appearance at Edgar Street
for the 1-1 draw with Hereford
Utd and a turnout of five for the 0-0 draw against Barnet at Underhill.
·
Nine
BURKS made it to Roots Hall to see another swift departure from the FA Cup.
·
A
great result at Wycombe was seen by 6 BURKS. Founder member Chris Bates
celebrated his 250th Cap and Barry Gigg,
his 50th. To celebrate Chris’ 50th birthday, he his being
treated to a VIP trip to Spotland in April and has 3
months to choose which records to be played in his honour at half time!
·
A
battling performance at MK Dons was seen by 8 BURKS, where a great penalty save
by Sam Russell and a Gary Jones goal inspired 10 man Rochdale to a memorable
win. 10 men, we only need 10 men!
·
Two
BURKS made their short trip to Notts
County to see the 1-0
defeat.
·
Another
great away win at Brentford was seen by 7 BURKS, including Keith Bridges, who
waited 18 years to attend his second match having made is debut at Maidstone in
April 1990. Keith, see you again in 2026!
·
BURKS
legend Chris Bates enjoyed a VIP day at Spotland for
the game against Grimsby, accompanied by his son Robbie, brother Ed and nephew
Charlie and along with Phil Mair and son Jimmy, a great day was had by all.
Rene Howe’s hat-trick in the 3-1 win was the icing on the cake.
·
Ten
BURKS braved the weather for the 1-1 draw with Dagenham & Redbridge, where
with better finishing we could have taken all 3 points.
·
Playoff
Heaven in the White Horse, Swanage
An
unfortunate scheduling of the playoff semi final meant it clashed with the
annual BURKS Boyos weekend, which this year was on the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset.
Chris Bates’ best efforts to get to Spotland were
thwarted by the trains, so he had come along for the weekend. The decision was
made to watch the game in nearby Swanage. “It’s only 3 miles to Swanage –
there’s plenty of time” was the cry as we set off along the cliff path at 9:30.
As time moved on it became clear we were not going to get there in time for the
kick-off and even more frustratingly at 12:00 we were still out of mobile phone
range! By 12:15, we were in range and had a feint 2 minutes of commentary over
Chris’ phone before that went dead. And then the phone rang “We’re one down –
dodgy penalty” was the cry from Chris. Gloom and doom set in as we eventually
got into Swanage at 12:35. Soaking wet, we trooped into the White Horse, where
Tom, the operative of the controls for the 63 inch plasma changed it from Cup
Final It’s a Knockout to the big match.
Within
3 minutes of sitting down, it was back to 1-1, hope was restored. Then a big
sigh of relief when Darlo hit the bar, was followed
by periods of doubt that Dale were going to score. That is until the wonder strike
by David Perkins sent the nine of us into raptures and some looks from the
locals as to why a group of wet blokes in walking gear were dancing around
their pub!
It
could have gone either way in extra time before the most nerve wracking penalty
shoot out of all time, much worse than watching England in the World Cup. Each time
Dale had to equalise and each time they did, to ever increasing cheers of
relief. Then it was Tommy Lee’s big moment. Having fooled Darlo’s
players in a false sense of security with the first 4 penalties, he ‘cleverly’
covered the straight down the middle shot with his trailing leg and the pub
erupted again. Even our new mate Tom was joining in the cheering. Then with
hearts pumping, up stepped Ben Muirhead and the rest
is history. Dale had made it. We were off to Wembley! 30 years of hurt, never
stopped us dreaming.
Then
in the evening, the first ever BURKS discussion on how much to spend on tickets
for a Wembley final! How many for £36? How many for £46? Alan Wilson later
assumed that in true BURKS style we would opt for £26. But it will down to
every BURK to make their choice as to where to watch the game from and to enjoy
the big day. As for me, £80.
The
pub rendezvous is 12:00, lets make sure we don’t set off for the ground too
late, or will have to find another White Horse. Hang on - White Horse, Wembley.
Anyone remember 1923?
Wembley
Woes
It
wasn’t to be for Rochdale, as a record BURKS turnout of 48 saw a valiant Dale
performance fall short against a good Stockport
side. My experience of the day was hampered by having the flu, getting wet on
the walk from the Tube Station and not being let into the pub at 1:30 didn’t
help!
BURKS
Record Broken
With
the season concluding at Wembley, a BURK record was broken by Arthur Bell.
Father of one of the BURKS legends Howard Bell, Arthur eclipsed the record held
by the late Ron Webb (a legend himself in the history of Braintree Town FC and
non-league football) and pushed the record out to 78 years 346 days.
·
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