Rochdale secured a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Eastleigh at the Crown Oil Arena in a match overseen by referee James Westgate. Rochdale clinically exploited their opportunities, while Eastleigh struggled to gain any meaningful traction.
The scoring began in the 11th minute when Devante Rodney found the net, assisted by Tobi Adebayo-Rowling. This early goal underscored Rochdale’s initial pressure and set the tone for the remainder of the match. Eastleigh’s difficulties were compounded just seven minutes later when Luis Fernandez unluckily scored an own goal, extending Rochdale’s lead to 2-0.
Eastleigh’s attempts to recover were consistently frustrated by Rochdale’s robust defence and persistent attacking play. Corey Panter received a yellow card in the 29th minute for a foul, a sign of Eastleigh’s increasing frustration. At the interval, Eastleigh manager Kelvin Davis introduced Lloyd Humphries in place of Panter, a tactical substitution intended to add stability to the midfield.
Rochdale maintained their dominance into the second half. In the 58th minute, Eastleigh made a further change, bringing on Paul McCallum for Lee Hodson in an attempt to strengthen their attacking options. However, Rochdale continued to dictate the flow of the game, and Noa Boutin received a yellow card in the 62nd minute.
Ian Henderson increased Rochdale’s advantage in the 63rd minute, scoring their third goal, again assisted by Adebayo-Rowling. Shortly after, in the 66th minute, Rochdale substituted Aidan Barlow for Kairo Mitchell. Eastleigh responded in the 69th minute by replacing Ben Close with Connor Underhill.
Devante Rodney then scored his second goal of the match in the 75th minute, completing his brace and effectively sealing the victory for Rochdale. Adebayo-Rowling recorded his third assist of the match. Rochdale then made a double substitution in the 79th minute, introducing Jack Kingdon for Tarryn Allarakhia and Kyle Ferguson for Sam Beckwith.
As the match neared its conclusion, Rochdale made a final substitution, replacing Corey Edwards with Charlie Weston in the 85th minute. In added time, Devante Rodney received a yellow card for a foul before being replaced by Michael Adu-Poku in the 91st minute.
This victory lifts Rochdale to 5th place in the National League standings with 64 points from 41 games, significantly improving their playoff aspirations. Eastleigh, meanwhile, remain in 14th place with 54 points from 42 games, extending their winless run.