FC DALE took on Whitworth Valley in a Rochdale Online Division One match and hit nine goals with only one in reply.

Managers Chris Taylor and Ross Turner decided to change their tried and tested 4-4-2 formation to see if it could put some life and excitement back into the team, and how it paid off.

Dale started the brighter side, with some good work up front by the returning Martin Shaw and new signing Daniel Armstrong.

In the 12th minute Shaw ran up the line to cross for the onrunning Armstrong who slotted home with the visitors appealing that the ball had gone out of play in the build-up.

Chris Taylor got on the scoresheet after good work by Scott Dyet and Mark Davies.

Valley then came back into the game with some good possesion, and they gained a breakthrough on the stroke of half time when a freekick floated over the keeper’s head and into the net.

After some strong words at half time Dale came out like a team on fire and played some excellent football.

Scott Bentley bagged his first goal of the season on 50 minutes, Valley heads dropped, and the feeling was the game was over as a contest.

Mark Davies claimed Dale’s fourth with a freekick, Martin Shaw bagged the fifth, and his substitute replacement Bob Bentley hit the sixth after meeting a corner cross from his son Scott.

It was Scott who rounded off the scoring with a quickfire hat-trick.

Despite their spree, Dale were not the top scorers of the day.

Old Bricklayers churned out double figures against Woolworths Sports reserves in a Richard Martin Financial Services Division Three match.

It is not often you can mention a defeat for Copper Pot, but defeat it was for them as they failed to reply to the one goal from Littleborough in a Newbold Tyres Premier Division match.

Elsewhere, Midland Phoenix beat Duke of Wellington 5-1, and Catholic Club Celtic fired out a warning by defeating North Star 6-2.