Rochdale 1, City 3

ONE thing you can guarantee from a trip to Rochdale, other than the standard miserable weather, is the excellent taste in pre-match tunes.

The usual stroll down Manchester's musical memory lane was there, from the Stone Roses and Oasis to James and the Smiths.

Joy Division might have been a glaring omission from the play list – but the large travelling army in the away stand put that right.

"Reid, Reid will tear you apart again," was the anthem that boomed into the dank Lancashire air. It felt comfortingly familiar; a reassuring soundtrack as City put the previous week's travails behind them.

"He's a bit hit, miss and maybe sometimes," was assistant boss Steve Parkin's neat summation of Kyel Reid afterwards. But there was nothing miss or maybe on this occasion.

When Reid's in full flight and on his game, there has been no more exciting player in City's recent history.

Today marks the second anniversary of that goal of the season wonder strike at Walsall. We know what he can do.

His return on loan may ultimately prove no more than a short-term fix. But what a shot-in-the-arm he delivered at Spotland – both on and off the pitch.

Those fans who were travelling more out of habit than hope after the insipid efforts against Peterborough and Colchester suddenly found a new spring in their step.

Team-mates, understandably down from those defeats, acquired an all-smiling, all-running personality to boost the ranks.

But it wasn't all about Reid. There were others with points to prove who did so equally.

Ben Williams, restored in goal after Brad Jones' Colchester calamity, spared City any late nerves with a fine save from Matty Lund's free-kick.

Tony McMahon, playing the tucked-in 'Will Atkinson' foil to Reid, was a steely balance on the right of midfield.

And there was Steve Davies with the bit between his teeth in the targetman role he has craved since joining in the summer.

For the first time in the league this season, City kicked off without James Hanson. But Davies seized the opportunity to show his jaded rival that there can be proper competition for a shirt that most fans regard as an automatic.

Davies is still waiting for a first City goal, although he almost ended that in some style with an overhead attempt that flashed wide from Reid's cross.

But he put himself about as the visitors took more of a grip on the game and followed team orders to the letter when he forced the error to set up the crucial second goal which put City ahead for good.

The front two had been told not to give up on anything against a Dale side who prefer to play their way out of defensive trouble rather than just whack clear.

So when Jim McNulty tried to shepherd a ball out of play, Davies pounced to wrestle possession and deliver an intelligent cross that was ultimately 'shinned' in by Devante Cole.

Davies plays on the edge and looks like he could start a fight in a phone box at times – he was wisely subbed soon after seeing yellow.

But there is quality about his play and it's fair to say that nobody in Phil Parkinson's squad currently appears to 'want it more'.

Parkin said: "I've seen him play from being a kid and I think the key thing with Steven is that he does not get too anxious because he's not got a goal and too anxious to prove to everybody what a good player he is.

Rochdale v City match pictures

"We've told him to just go out there and enjoy playing and being physical. I thought he was immense.

"You saw with the (Cole) goal that he's got the quality not to shoot and be silly but get the ball across the box. It was really good play from somebody who's motivated to do well for the football club."

The first half had been nothing to shout about; a scruffy game punctuated by two scruffy goals and too much whistling for cheap free-kicks from referee Tony Harrington.

According to Parkin, Lee Evans blamed the ball during the interval for his surprisingly disappointing delivery from set-pieces.

But he did get it right when it mattered to bundle home from close range after McMahon's free-kick had cannoned conveniently to his feet off Jamie Allen.

After a nervous glance to check the assistant's flag, the Welshman could head off for under-21 duty with a first City goal under his belt.

But Rochdale hit back seven minutes later with an equally untidy effort. James Meredith's loose pass was picked off in his own half, Callum Camps was afforded too much room to shoot and his scuffed attempt was diverted home by Peter Vincenti – his sixth goal in seven games.

It was a nasty kick in the teeth for the Bantams from a player who had needed emergency dental surgery after being caught by a stray Shrewsbury elbow in the previous game.

But City rediscovered their bite from the resumption. Josh Lillis made a theatrical save from Cole but it showed the attacking intent was there.

More and more the Bantams looked to Reid; more and more Rochdale were left scrabbling back towards their own goal in the winger's slipstream.

Cole claimed his fourth goal in seven appearances just before the hour with the big assist from Davies.

His cross was nearly turned into the Dale net by a panicky Joe Rafferty. Lillis just managed to keep that out but Cole was on hand to force it past Andy Cannon on the goalline.

Two minutes later, more panic in the home defence as Oliver Lancashire beat Cole to a wicked in-swinger from Evans – and looped a header over his own keeper.

It was a case of Lancashire doing West Yorkshire a timely favour.

Dale still had time to recover but there was no blowing a two-goal cushion on this occasion.

Calvin Andrew somehow fired over from five yards; Lewis Alessandra had a close-range effort blocked after Williams got lost in the crowd, before the keeper atoned with a fine tip-over in added time.

But there was no denying City were worth the win; nor the identity of its catalyst. The bear hug from captain Stephen Darby that swallowed up Reid at full-time said it all.

Attendance: 4,534