With spirits high after their recent victory at Bolton, Rochdale were brought down to earth by a rampant City team who reserved their best performance of the season for Dale's visit.

Both teams started well with chances at each end, but on eleven minutes City took the lead with a well taken corner. Two minutes later and City beat Dale's offside trap to double their lead. A lack of concentration led to City's third, and a mix up in defence handed City's fourth on a plate.

City's fifth came just before the break with a fine individual goal.

Half Time  5 - 0

With the game virtually beyond them, Dale started the second half determined to rescue some pride, and matched City in every department. But, with Dale pressing to gain something from the match, gaps appeared and City added three unanswered goals before the final whistle.

This score line may have dented Dale's confidence, but throughout the game there were good individual performances. The girls need to build on that and perform better as unit.