Match Report
Rochdale, 2nd with 106 points, sat 25 points above Southend United (6th, 81). Rochdale ranked just 8th in the league on five-round form despite their 2nd table position. Scoring rates set the scale: Southend United 1.8 scored and 1.02 conceded per game, Rochdale 1.91 and 0.89, with the league averaging 1.46.
Southend United carried a 5-game unbeaten run into this. Rochdale had won four straight, having scored in 15 consecutive games.
19 meetings are on record — 5 won by Southend United, 8 by Rochdale, 6 drawn, at 3 goals per meeting. History gives the home side just 37% of the wins in this matchup. Three-plus goals is the norm here, arriving in 68% of the meetings, and both sides scored in 63%.
The venue was Roots Hall Stadium, with room for 12,392 spectators. Southend United led 3-1 at the break, and the second half added 1 goal for the 3-2 full-time score.
Goal scorers
Southend United: Andrew Dallas (3'), James Golding (17'), Tom Hopper (27') · Rochdale: Emmanuel Dieseruvwe (20'), Casey Pettit (55')
Key stats
Possession: Southend United 48% · Rochdale 52% · Total shots: 8-5 · On target: 4-2 · Corners: 4-4