Overview

Truro City and Rochdale will face off the first time at the Truro City Stadium for the Tinners’ first Saturday league game on home soil in September – 3.00pm.

They will face a Rochdale side who have shown no ill-effects of losing in the play-off quarter-finals to Southend United last term, despite holding a 3-1 lead in an enthralling Spotland clash.

Dale are currently second in the table with boss Jimmy McNulty recently awarded the National League Manager of the Month, with start striker Mani Dieseruvwe also picking up the Player of the Month gong.

Dieseruvwe, who has previously turned out for Halifax, Salford and Hartlepool amongst others, was on target in Dale’s last match, which saw the side ease Braintee aside 2-0 in Greater Manchester.

This continued Dale’s push at the top of the table and they know victory over City, coupled with Forest Green slipping up at home to Scunthorpe, could see McNulty’s charges looking down at the rest come 4.45pm.

Last Term

Survival was probably the number one aim for Rochdale when they dropped into the National League – both on and off the pitch. 

Playing wise the side were desperate to not become a York City, Scunthorpe United or Stockport County, with all three clubs dropping into National League North shortly after losing their place in the EFL. 

Also, the club were desperately seeking fresh investment and in February 2024, then chairman Simon Gauge went public in his plea for financial support. 

Despite all the uncertainty, boss Jimmy McNulty led Dale to 11th in the table and last summer, Gauge’s investment pleas were answered as the Ogden family, led by siblings Cameron, Tiffany and Edward, came to Dale’s rescue. 

And similar to how the takeover of Truro City almost two years ago reinvigorated the club, the same happened at Spotland, with the side enjoying a successful season in both league and cup, whilst the Ogdens oversaw a number of off-field improvements too. 

The 2024/25 season began with just one loss in the side’s opening eight games and after a 3-1 win over Maidenhead United, Dale were second in the table. 

Defeats to Solihull Moors and Eastleigh, followed by wins over Hartlepool and Braintree kept Rochdale in the play-off places. 

But another external factor, good old British weather then put the brakes and any potential automatic promotion charge as during November, only three league games were possible. 

The same amount in December and just two in January, with the Spotland pitch also forcing the postponements of FA Trophy games too. 

February began with the game at Woking being called off due to FA Trophy involvement and of six league games played after this, only four points from 18 were picked up. 

It was a similar beginning to March as the FA Trophy quarter-final at home to Altrincham, which saw Dale win 2-0, saw the trip to Sutton postponed. 

Eight league games would follow in 2025’s third month, as three consecutive wins would be followed by four winless matches. However, March ended with a 4-0 home thrashing of Aldershot and the side were sixth. 

A similarly hectic April saw Rochdale bundled out of the Trophy and denied a Wembley appearance by Spennymoor Town, who prevailed at Spotland on penalties. 

But this disappointment didn’t have a detrimental effect on league form and fourth place was secured. 

It meant a play-off quarter-final, on home soil against Southend, which proved to be a magnificent game for the neutral. 

Goals from Devante Rodney and Jay Bird sandwiched between Nathanael Ralph’s strike for the Shrimpers, gave Dale a 2-1 interval lead. 

Rodney’s second, this time from the spot further strengthened Rochdale’s hand after 56 minutes but Southend wouldn’t lie down. 

Tom Hopper pulled a goal back with 16 minutes left before Leon Parillion’s equaliser forced extra-time. 

And 11 minutes into additional time former Woking forward Charley Kendall put Southend ahead for the first time and they clung on to win a dramatic game 4-3, thus ending Rochdale’s promotion hopes.

The Gaffer

Jimmy McNulty was appointed as manager of Rochdale in May2023 following a spell in interim charge at the end of the 2022/23 season.

He led Dale to a top half finish in his first full campaign at the helm and was rewarded with a new three-year contract in July 2024.

McNulty joined Dale from Bury in the summer of 2015 and went on to make 237 appearances in his playing days with the club.

He had played Championship football under former Dale boss Keith Hill at Barnsley, before leaving Oakwell to help Bury to promotion in 2014/15.

The 40-year-old started his career with Wrexham, but didn’t play league football until joining Macclesfield in July 2006, with current Tinners chief John Askey on the coaching staff at Moss Rose during this time.

He moved to Stockport in January 2008 and was a member of the County side that won promotion from League Two four months later with a Wembley play-off defeat of Rochdale.

McNulty later played for Brighton and had two loans spells at Scunthorpe United too.

One to Watch

Striker Emmanuel  Dieseruvwe penned a two-year deal at the Crown Oil Arena in July 2025 after turning down a new contract at Hartlepool United.

The 30-year-old scored 39 National League goals in the previous two seasons, finishing as the Pools’ leading marksman in both campaigns.

Dieseruvwe progressed through the ranks with Sheffield Wednesday before signing his first professional contract in 2013.

Loan moves to Hyde United, Fleetwood Town and Chesterfield followed, with the towering forward signing permanently for the Spireites in 2015.

He spent time on loan at Mansfield Town the following season, before joining Kidderminster Harriers in the summer of 2016. During his time at Aggborough, he had a loan spell with Boston United, ahead of a permanent move to Salford City in 2017.

Dieseruvwe was at the Peninsula Stadium for four seasons, winning consecutive promotions from National League North to League Two, and scoring the opening goal in the National League play-off final.

In the summer of 2021, he moved to Tranmere Rovers, but was on loan at Grimsby Town for the majority of the season, again winning promotion to the EFL.

2022/23 was spent with FC Halifax Town, before Dieseruvwe enjoyed the last two seasons at Hartlepool United.

Last Time Out

Boss Jimmy McNulty felt the 2-0 victory for his Rochdale side over Braintree last Saturday was one ‘to be appreciative of’. 

Mani Dieseruvwe notched a first half double to keep Dale second in the table with the former Hartlepool and Halifax striker taking his tally to seven already this term. 

The deadlock was broken in the 25th minute when Tarryn Allarakhia’s cross was headed home by Dieseruvwe and shortly after, Rochdale were in complete control. 

Braintree custodian Mason Terry pressed the self-destruct button with his clearance intercepted by Dieseruvwe who made it 2-0. 

However, Terry did redeem himself in the second stanza when he denied Dieseruvwe the matchball. And Braintree could have set up a grandstand finish had John Akinde’s goalbound effort not been kept out by Dale gloveman Oliver Whatmuff. 

‘It is a home win to be appreciative of,” McNulty said at full-time. “Every single victory in this league is hard-fought as the opposition have the right to throw caution to the wind at any moment.

“But I thought that in the first half we could have had the game wrapped (up) and at half-time, I asked if the players could do that early in the second half. 

“The opponent changed a few things and went for it a little more and had some pressure. The positive aspect against this was how robust we were without the ball and we kept another clean sheet. 

“Overall, it is a good home win and another three points, with lots of good aspects to our play.”