Late equaliser and penalty heartbreak end Rochdale AFC’s Wembley hopes

Rochdale AFC narrowly missed out on a historic trip to Wembley on Saturday (6 April), losing 5–4 on penalties to Spennymoor Town after a dramatic FA Trophy semi-final at the Crown Oil Arena.

The home side looked set for victory in front of a bumper crowd of 5,527 after twice taking the lead in the second half. But a 95th-minute equaliser from Spennymoor’s Aiden Rutledge forced a penalty shootout, where Rochdale fell just short.

The match had remained goalless at half-time despite Dale looking the brighter of the two sides. That changed shortly after the interval when Devante Rodney latched onto Ian Henderson’s cross to fire the hosts ahead on 48 minutes.

However, Spennymoor responded swiftly. Just three minutes later, Finley Shrimpton levelled from the spot after a penalty was awarded to the visitors. Dale immediately hit back with a penalty of their own, which Aidan Barlow calmly dispatched to restore their advantage in a blistering six-minute spell.

Rochdale pushed to extend their lead, with Tarryn Allarakhia heading over from a Jili Buyabu corner and Barlow forcing a strong save from visiting goalkeeper Rohan Luthra. Dale continued to dominate, with a long-range strike from Adam Gilmour also turned behind by the keeper.

Jimmy McNulty made attacking substitutions in the closing stages, bringing on Kairo Mitchell and Leon Ayinde in a bid to see the match through. Ayinde nearly delivered the winner in the 93rd minute, but his curling effort drifted just wide.

With six minutes of stoppage time signalled, Dale appeared to be managing the game well until Rutledge pounced in the 95th minute to make it 2–2, sending the tie to penalties.

Both teams held their nerve through the first nine spot-kicks, but Allarakhia saw his effort saved, handing Spennymoor a 5–4 shootout win and a place in the final at Wembley on 11 May, where they will face Aldershot Town.

Despite the heartbreak, Rochdale’s run in the FA Trophy has brought renewed optimism and strong support from fans. Attention now returns to the league, with a trip to Sutton United on Tuesday followed by a home match against Eastleigh next weekend.