United 5 Rochdale 0

Match Sponsor: TORBAY VAUXHALL

Matchball Sponsor: COUNTY WINDOWS

Man of the Match: ELLIOT BENYON

There were plenty of people happy to predict a United win against League 2 leaders Rochdale but surely none of them predicted the 5-0 scoreline that over 3,000 witnessed as the Gulls took apart the division's deserved pace setters and sent their own message out of how they are approaching the finale to the season.

Elliot Benyon with two, Scott Rendell, Nicky Wroe and Mustapha Carayol scored the goals but there were plenty of first class displays on a day where United stifled their opposition and took the chances that came their way. It could have 6, 7 or 8 come the end and this Rochdale side will have rarely been on the end of such a result.

It was an unchanged line-up for the third game running for the Gulls and they took to the pitch in front of a sun-drenched crowd and a welcome face in the guise of referee Garry Sutton who was the man in the middle at last season's Play-Final against Cambridge United.

Not surprisingly Rochdale started the game in a confident manner and Dagnell tested Scott Bevan with a 16 yard left foot shot that the United 'keeper did well to palm away with Kevin Nicholson completing the clearance.

Dagnell had another attempt two minutes later when the ball was slipped to him by O'Grady but his effort was narrowly wide of the right hand post. United were doing their best to harry their opponents but Rochdale have built a reputation on some quick, neat football and the Gulls were always going to have to put a real shift in to stop them playing.

Joe Thompson almost caught Scott Bevan out with a lob from a very narrow angle but despite that chance United were gradually getting a foothold into the match. Fielding in the Rochdale goal made a fine one handed tip away after Scott Rendell got a header onto a deflected Chris Zebroski shot as United threatened.

As the half hour mark arrived United were having a good spell and they took the lead after some sloppy defending by the visitors. McArdle made a good block from a Nicky Wroe shot but from a tame looking Chris Zebroski effort the visitors made a hash of more than one attempt to clear the ball and Scott Rendell poked the loose ball past Fielding for the lead.

Goal: United 1 (Rendell 29) Rochdale 0

Rochdale kicked-off for the restart but had time to do little else before United doubled their lead; Nicky Wroe collected the ball in open play on the left and floated a cross to the far post where Elliot Benyon towered over his marker to head home from six yards.

Goal: United 2 (Benyon 31) Rochdale 0

Clearly Rochdale were rattled now and things were going to get a lot worse for them. United were on fire and four minutes after the second goal the third trotted along like a foregone conclusion; Kevin Nicholson sent over a left foot corner from the right where, yet again, Mark Ellis was waiting to head toward goal and from his on target effort Elliot Benyon chested the ball in for his second goal o the game. Crazy stuff!

Goal: United 3 (Benyon 35) Rochdale 0

After the glut of goals a slight calming of the play was understandable although as the half came toward its conclusion Rochdale almost pulled a goal back when Bevan saved well from O'Grady and Mark Ellis made a superb block from a Kennedy shot.

It wouldn't be out of place to say that after the first quarter of an hour the 3-0 scoreline to United seemed a couple of jumps into fantasy land but United had rolled their sleeves up and, most importantly, taken the chances that came their way.

Half-Time: United 3 Rochdale 0

Rochdale made two changes at the break to try and affect a change in their fortunes and they had the first chance of the second half. United were defending the edge of the area and left back Tom Kennedy found enough space to fire off a left foot shot that was inches wide of the far post.

United were soaking up plenty of pressure from the visitors and a succession of corners had to be negotiated at a time when a Rochdale goal could still cause some concern in the United ranks.

Bucks was forced into a change when Scott Bevan picked up a thigh injury and had to be replaced by Michael Poke in goal but with United now dominating it had little bearing on events. Rochdale still had plenty of possession but United were sharper in closing them down now and were looking dangerous themselves on the counter attack.

Any fears of a Rochdale comeback disappeared on the hour when Elliot Benyon chased a loose ball across the Rochdale penalty area and was summarily dumped on his backside by 'Dale 'keeper Fielding. Fielding collected a yellow card and Nicky Wroe took responsibility and tucked the spot kick away sending Fielding the wrong way.

Goal: United 4 (Wroe 61, pen) Rochdale 0

United were looking like scoring with every attack and a super through ball from Nicky Wroe released Benyon who managed to squeeze the all past the onrushing Fielding but Dawson cleared the loose ball off the line and to safety.

The game was up for Rochdale now and if United were ruthless enough there were more goals for the taking and just when the Plainmoor faithful thought they had seen everything in this match Mustapha Carayol controlled the ball out on the left, tip-toed inside a couple of Rochdale defenders and curled a right foot shot past Fielding and inside the right hand post. It was a fitting end to the goalscoring and a goal that Mustapha has been threatening to score for a while now.

Goal: United 5 (Carayol 83) Rochdale 0

Danny Stevens & Eunan O'Kane were sent on in place of Carayol and Elliot Benyon and both had time to be involved in some tidy passages of play but all the damage had been done long ago to a Rochdale side that will still ease their way to promotion by next weekend. United have dispatched both the bottom and top clubs 5-0 at Plainmoor this season and now have a zero goal difference which for a team lying fourth from bottom is confusing but also a big plus.

Elliot Benyon collected the Man of the Match award for his two goals and tireless running but it could have gone to a number of United players; Guy Branston did little wrong again and has made a huge difference to a United defence that has let in one goal in three matches while Kevin Nicholson has produced four and a half hours of pretty faultless football since his return to the line-up but that shouldn't overshadow some excellent team play from a settled side and reflects the amount of hard work that the squad and the coaching staff are putting in.

Final Score: United 5 Rochdale 0