Rochdale 0 York City 4: Ollie Pearce's brilliance kick-starts a show to make light of stasis

With 56 days until their likely Conference play-off semi-final, the Minstermen are stuck in stasis. Judging by their 4-0 win, featuring an outstanding Pearce goal, a wonderful assist and a routine tap-in for the striker, plus a first goal of the season for Ryan Fallowfield, it is not doing them much harm just yet.

The song from the away end about watching super City putting on a show certainly rang true.

The title York had been fighting for every since their campaign got off to a flier is gone, Barnet over the hills and far away. The play-offs are cast-iron safe, Dale now 20 points behind in the final play-off spot. Even a home semi-final is fairly safe, with fourth-placed Oldham Athletic needing to make up a 10-point gap when goal difference is taken into account.

It could make life a little tricky. Which player is going to launch himself into a 50-50 and risk missing a home game to get to Wembley? Who is going to match the effort of home team whose place in the play-offs is in the balance?

How to keep the team fresh for May 20 – which is when their next competitive game will be if they can stay in second – but also sharp?

But, as York manager Adam Hinshelwood said beforehand, the shackles can come off their football. The players can take risks without fear of failure.

For the first 23 minutes at Spotland, York went down the first path, only to took a screeching U-turn.

Kairo Mitchell might have put the hosts ahead in the seventh minute but, under pressure at the near post, he shot wide. Hinshelwood barked his anger at the visiting defenders for allowing him the chance.

Three minutes later Malachi Fagan-Walcott cleared a Connor McBride shot that had beaten Harrison Male on its way to the net.

Tobi Adebayo-Rowling had a shot deflected over the bar for a corner.

But then it happened.

Joe Felix was played in behind the Rochdale defence and when he crossed the ball, Pearce spun on it and backheeled the ball right into the far corner of the net.

The day before the 70th anniversary of the Happy Wanderers' drawn FA Cup semi-final against Newcastle United, it was no exaggeration to say Jackie Milburn would have been proud of it. The audacity was more in keeping with Len Shackleton, but the Bradfordian had long since crossed the Tyne by then.

It was cheeky, it was adventurous, it was wonderful. Or as Rochdale's X account poetically put it "Goal. York. Pearce."

Quite.

More to the point, it lifted his side.

A minute later Pearce was forcing Sam Waller to actually make a save. Not long after that, Callum Howe made a brilliant tackle on Mitchell, York swept down the other end and presented with a far more score-able chance, Pearce missed the target.

Pearce was even in the thick of the defending, getting his head in the way of a Adebayo-Rowling strike and presumably wondering why there was suddenly two of everyone in front of him.

Pearce is a striker who likes to drop into midfield, and from there he played a wonderful pass to send Lewis Richardson through one-on-one. The Burnley loanee kept his cool, and slipped the ball past Waller.

Pearce knew just how good a pass it was, running wide-eyed, arms outstretched, to the dugout to celebrate.

The whack he took quickly after from Liam Hogan – who was booked – was a warning shot. He would be substituted but not before his side had two more goals, one for him.

Both were made by substitute Dipo Akinyemi, although Rochdale's poor defending was as much to blame for allowing Pearce a tap-in. Quickly afterwards Waller went off injured. It had quickly turned into one of those nights for his team.

But the second assist was brilliant, coming into the middle and playing a sharp ball for Fallowfield to finish like the cool-headed goal machine he is not.

Akinyemi's outside-of-the-boot cross was just a fraction too far in front of Lenell John-Lewis to stop his fellow substitute joining the fun.

Another 56 days of this will do nicely, thank you.

Rochdale: Waller (Kelly 71); Adebayo-Rowling; Kingdon, Hogan, Beckwith; East, Gilmour, Buyabu; McBride (Barlow71), Mitchell (Henderson 67), Ayinde.

Unused substitutes: Ebanks-Landell, Allarakhia, Adu-Poku, Weston.

York City: Male; Fallowfield, Howe, Fagan-Walcott, John; Hunt, Felix (Chadwick 78), Arnstrong (Stones 76); Richardson (Akinyemi 67), Pearce (John-Lewis 76), Sinclair (Luamba 67).

Unused substitutes: Watson, Batty.

Referee: G Rollason.