Charlton 4 Rochdale 1

CHARLTON boss Alan Curbishley has revealed that he had Rochdale watched five times in the build-up to Saturday’s FA Cup clash.

It is a compliment to a Rochdale side who were comfortable beaten 4-1 at The Valley.

Neither Curbishley, nor the club, was going to leave themselves open to the accusation they had treated the League Two side with anything less than respect.

He said: "Nothing was left to chance, that’s why we watched Rochdale five times. We’ve left ourselves open to criticism in the past with our poor records in both the FA and League Cups.

"But we were thorough in our preparation. Rochdale did set us problems, especially with their front two. I’m relieved to be in the next round because this tie could so easily have been a banana skin.

"Everyone at the club is craving an FA Cup run so we’re all pleased to be in the next round."

Rochdale manager Steve Parkin conceded: "We showed Charlton too much respect in the first half. But the difference between the two teams was the finishing.

"The second and third goals were bad but my biggest regret is that we were unable to keep the score at 2-1 for no more than six minutes.

"But we’ve had a great day and hopefully the money we’ve earned can go towards making the signings we desperately need."