PREVIEW: Rochdale vs Wealdstone
- Aryan Jolly
- 23 minutes ago
- 4 min read
The Stones face a tough test on Saturday evening as they travel up to Greater Manchester to take on a title-chasing Rochdale AFC in front of the DAZN TV cameras.
The Basics
Date: Saturday, April 11
Venue: Crown Oil Arena, OL11 5DR
Competition: The Enterprise National League
Kick Off Time: 5:30 pm
Broadcast Information: The game will be available to watch live via DAZN
News From The Vale
Big news came out of The Vale earlier this week, as tickets for the FA Trophy Final are set to go on sale on Monday, April 13, at 10:00 am. Tickets are only available for purchase via the Football Association website.
The club’s dedicated Wembley Website, wembley.wealdstone-fc.com, is also set for an imminent update. The club are announcing a special-edition range of Wembley-focused merchandise, as well as details of a pre-match supporters’ event at The Vale, which will incorporate the Stones’ end-of-season awards.
The Wealdstone Men’s team had success in a cup semi-final a couple of weeks ago, and it is now the Wealdstone FC Women’s side’s chance to reach a cup final! They travel to Fusion FC in the semi-final of the Sue Sharples Cup on Sunday, with the game due to kick off at 2:00pm. Follow the Wealdstone FC Women account on Instagram for more information and updates about the game.
Also, be sure to follow the Stones’ official TikTok account, which has been showcasing clips and behind-the-scenes footage from one of the most successful seasons in the club’s history. Most recently, Dom Hutchinson and Mason Barrett read funny comments about each other during a fake livestream.
Our man in form - Dante Baptiste: The Stones’ goalkeeper has enjoyed an excellent 2025/26 campaign, and he has been in particularly good form of late.
Baptiste was perhaps the unsung hero of the FA Trophy Semi-Final, making a couple of great saves to prevent Marine from taking the lead before providing the assist for Micah Obiero’s winner.
He followed that display up with another top-drawer performance against Hartlepool United, making yet another assist and keeping a clean sheet.
After making a number of saves against Boreham Wood to prevent the scoreline from being even more unjust, Baptiste made a string of great saves in the first half against Aldershot Town to help the Stones secure another victory and keep their third clean sheet in four games.
Keep up the great work, Dante!
The Opposition
Recent form: WDWLD
League Position: 2nd
After putting together a near-perfect campaign, outcompeting many high-quality teams to top the National League table for most of the campaign, Rochdale have faltered in recent weeks.
Jim McNulty’s side surrendered a two-goal lead against Scunthorpe United before needing a 97th-minute winner to beat Sutton United. The Dale then lost at home against relegation-threatened Morecambe before drawing against Hartlepool United on Easter Monday.
They now sit two points off league leaders York City, making Saturday’s game a must-win if they want to stand a chance of winning the fifth tier when they play the Minstermen on the final day of the season.
The reverse fixture: The Stones suffered defeat when the Dale travelled to HA4 earlier this campaign.
The visitors made a bright start to the game as Devante Rodney squared to Aidan Barlow, who swept his effort past Baptiste in the 3rd minute.
Omar Mussa had a massive chance to level the contest in the 20th minute as he was found in the box by Micah Obiero. Unfortunately, his effort was well saved by Oliver Whatmuff.
Rochdale doubled their lead five minutes before half-time as Rodney produced a high-class turn to get some space in the box before firing a rocket of a strike into the top corner.
The second half started in nightmarish fashion as Emmanuel Dieseruvwe headed in just 34 seconds into the half.
Wealdstone managed to pull a goal back courtesy of Alfie Massey, who drove past two players before digging out a finish into the bottom corner from outside of the box. But it was too little, too late, especially as Enzio Boldewijn had an effort cleared off the line in the dying stages.
The danger man - Emmanuel Dieseruvwe: Rochdale have one of the most potent strikers in recent National League history leading their line in Emmanuel Dieseruvwe.
The 31-year-old only arrived at the Crown Oil Arena in the summer, but has seamlessly integrated into Rochdale’s side, scoring a whopping 24 goals in 37 league games thus far.
In fact, Dieseruvwe has become so key to the Dale that their recent drop-off has coincided with a dip in his personal form, as he has picked up just a couple of assists in his last five league games.
Buy Your Tickets Now!
The Stones will need their twelfth man if they are to best a high-calibre opponent on Saturday evening (tickets are available via the link below), but if you are unable to make it to the Dale, why not watch at The Vale!
The club will be screening the game live in HA4, with “Happy Hour” drink prices between 4:30 and 5:30pm.