This season Prostate Cancer UK is the official charity of The
Football League. To celebrate, we've asked bloggers from each of
the 72 clubs to count down their top five strikers to have worn the
No9 shirt, in recognition of the fact that prostate cancer
affects one in nine men.
Rise to stardom: Grant Holt made a name for himself at Rochdale. Photo courtesy of Action Images
Here blogger Sarah Lomas, from girlonaterrace.com,
selects Rochdale's five best No9s… and one to forget!
5. Michael Oliver
(2000-03)
Although his time at Rochdale could be described as hit and miss,
Michael Oliver made more than 100 appearances for the club.
Initially his opportunities were limited due to too much
competition in midfield, but into his second season he formed an
important partnership with Gary Jones. His final season,
unfortunately marred by injury, had good and bad moments, but he
was a vital part of our impressive cup run.
4. Clive Platt
(1999-2003)
Clive Platt was a loanee who became a permanent addition. At the
time, his £100,000 fee was a club record and manager Steve Parkin
saw him as a player for the future. He seemed to be an unpolished
diamond: hardworking, tall and with good pace. A decent first
season saw him get 10 goals, and during his three remaining seasons
he netted a similar amount. Never particularly exciting, he was a
reliable player who was also vital in getting back to provide
defensive cover.
3. Chris Dagnall
(2006-10)
Originally a loan signing, he became permanent fixture at Spotland
for £25,000 in July 2006, with a view to filling a Grant
Holt-shaped hole. I'll always remember him marking a comeback from
a six-month cruciate ligament lay-off with a nine-minute hat-trick
against Rotherham. Dagnall's time at Rochdale, contributing to our
play-off and promotion seasons, has so far been the highlight of
his career. Subsequent moves haven't really played out well for
him.
2. Grant Holt
(2004-06)
Strong, determined, intimidating and a cocky so-and-so, Grant Holt
is the type of player opposition fans love to hate. His story is
one that every schoolboy dreams of, working his way through the
leagues and scoring at every level of English football. It was at
Rochdale that Holty started to make a name for himself: he'd
floundered around the non-league game for a while (and Singapore!)
until a spell at Hillsborough made us notice him. He went on to
become a legend at Rochdale, notching up 34 goals in 75
appearances.
1. Reg Jenkins
(1964-73)
Although I wasn't born when Reg Jenkins played for Rochdale, he's
still talked about to this day from his efforts during the 60s and
70s, particularly for our 1969 promotion-winning team. So
impressive were his eight years at Rochdale that he is still the
club's leading goalscorer, with 119 league goals (141 in total).
His club record of 305 appearances has only recently been broken by
Gary Jones.
And the worst…
Michael Symes (2012)
There were a few players who could have taken this spot and I only
chose Michael Symes because he failed to reach his potential at
Rochdale. John Coleman brought him in on loan in January for the
remainder of the season; he came with a fantastic reputation and
was well regarded by his previous clubs. But apart from a hat-trick
against Oldham, he never achieved what was expected of him and
often left fans frustrated, as we knew he had much more to
give.
Follow Sarah on Twitter @GirlOnATerrace