MOLSON COORS LANCASHIRE SENIOR CUP QUARTER-FINAL

BARROW AFC 1 (Thomas 43) ROCHDALE 3 (Gillam 35, Cannon 51,78)

BARROW AFC’s fringe players displayed moments of promise and occasional class, but bowed out of the Lancashire Senior Cup to a keen young Rochdale side.

Dale showed a willingness to pass the ball around at the back and further up-field from the start, with Barrow relying on attacks on the break, with Inih Effiong, Ross Hannah and Harry Panayiotou all lurking and pressing.

Hannah almost pounced when Jonathan Diba Musangu spilled a ball in his area, but he recovered just in time to stop the AFC man reaching it.

Harry Mellen – one of three young Performance Centre players in the defence, alongside Callum Fawcett and Macauley Woods, as well as experienced head Dan Rowe – was alert to stop David Owusu being played into space inside the area, with Callum Fawcett then intervening to clear at Dale looked dangerous again.

The Bluebirds should have taken the lead when an awful back-pass from Joel Taylor went straight to Effiong in space 15 yards out. But the striker seemed surprised to find himself with the ball and swung messily with his shot, scuffing it softly to his side.

There was power and accuracy when he fired into the net from a Jack Thomas through ball, but the offside flag rendered his effort mute.

Hannah had two shots blocked from the edge of the area among a crowd of Dale defenders as the hosts started to build momentum, with the same man dipping a 30-yard free-kick just over the bar.

Thomas was nearly played in by a Dale mistake, but his touch was too heavy as he ran into the area and the visitors were able to clear.

It was Rochdale who took the lead as Jack Stewart found himself in acres of space inside the AFC area. He rattled the bar, but the ball came out to Matty Gillam, who had an easy nod-down header into the empty net with the defence caught out.

Barrow drew level as Effiong again met a Thomas ball through, but saw his shot saved by Diba. The rebound fell to Thomas on the edge of the area, who calmly slid home.

The second half was only six minutes old when Dale led again as Macauley Woods slipped after making a strong challenge in the area and allowed Andy Cannon to fire home past a helpless Andy Coughlin.

Cannon blasted wide from a narrow angle soon after, Reuben Noble Lazurus dragged past the post and Akil Wright blasted high and wide for the home side when he found space in the area thanks to a Mellen challenge.

Barrow were struggling into the driving wind and rain in the second half, with Rochdale pressing them back and looking for the third goal which would settle the tie.

It came when Cannon was played through one-one-one with Coughlin and he calmly slotted the ball into the bottom far corner to seal a semi-final tie at Liverpool.

Cannon was denied a hat-trick at the death as Coughlin saved well down at his near post, but he and his team-mates had already done enough.

Barrow AFC: Andy Coughlin, Harry Mellen, Macauley Woods, Dan Rowe, Callum Fawcett, Liam Hughes, Akil Wright, Jack Thomas, Ross Hannah, Inih Effiong, Harry Panayiotou.

Substitutes Not Used: Jamie Hodgson, Brandon Collins, Tyler Spence, Ryan Rodgers, Charlie Foster.

Rochdale: Jonathan Diba Musangu, Andy Cannon, Harrison McGahey, Kevin Gibbins, Joel Taylor, Aaron Morley, Peter Vincenti, Reuben Noble Lazarus, David Owusu, Jack Stewart (Jack Lenehan 59), Matty Gillam.

Substitutes Not Used: Keith Kearney, Declan Evans, Joe Piggott, Steve Collins.

Referee: Jez Simpson (Carnforth).

Attendance: 302.