ONE week short of the anniversary of his return to the club, Rochdale boss Steve Parkin saw his team make the transition from the relegation candidates he inherited to genuine play-off contenders.

Still without additions to his squad and lacking any form of training facilities, Parkin again had to rely on the spirit and will to win of the "usual suspects" and they didn't let him down.

Four changes were made to the side that drew on their last outing, with Tai Atieno replacing the suspended Paul Tait and Ernie Cooksey, Gareth Griffiths and Alan Goodall also restored to the starting line-up. From the first whistle to the last they controlled the game and had they taken a reasonable percentage of the chances created it would have been a much wider margin of victory.

Within 90 seconds of the kick-off the visitors could have been two goals to the good as first Leo Bertos snatched at his shot when put through by Jamie Clarke then Cooksey headed tamely at Darlington keeper Sam Russell when he should have done better.

Bertos and Gary Jones both forced saves from Russell before Atieno broke the deadlock on 18 minutes. The big striker dispossessed Curtis Fleming, raced into the box and finished sweetly with his left foot for his first ever senior goal.

Bertos again wasted a good opportunity on 23 minutes before the home side produced their only real effort of note, with Matt Gilks saving well from Clyde Wijnhard after the Dutchman had turned away from Griffiths.

Either side of the break Bertos, Cooksey and Jones all went close and on the hour Russell produced another good save to deny Bertos after he had been set free by a slide-rule Clarke pass.

All the chances had come and gone without Grant Holt being on the receiving end, but there is no show without punch and when Bertos got to the by-line Dale's leading scorer was on hand with a close-range 63rd-minute finish to double his side's lead.

Holt and Atieno both forced saves out of the overworked Russell before Holt headed home his 18th goal of the season from a perfectly delivered Clarke free-kick and sparked a mass exodus of home fans.

In the dying minutes Atieno had to be stretchered off, after a crunching challenge in the box, with what looked like a serious injury. Parkin, however, later confirmed it was nothing more than bad bruising to his shin and calf.

In time added on Dale continued to press forward in search of goals but Bertos was again denied by Russell who also did well to hold onto a Goodall free-kick.

The year ended with considerably more optimism than it began and if Parkin could only add a couple of players to his squad, and if they had proper training facilities, 2005 might just turn out to be even better.

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