There. That wasn't difficult, was it?

The crowd at Spotland last night must have wondered what all this fuss over cup ties was about.

It may have been a case of tenth time lucky for City but there was no fortune about this stroll in the Dale.

From the moment that Dean Windass cleverly hooked in Richard Edghill's cross after seven minutes, there was only one team going through.

The goal may have been scored around the same time that Deano put City ahead in the corresponding Carling Cup opener against Notts County a year ago, but that was where the similarity ended.

Rochdale went into the match on a high after scoring four at League Two leaders Leyton Orient three days earlier. And front pair Grant Holt and Rickie Lambert certainly gave it a go early on.

But City always looked a level above, right across the pitch.

"I was relaxed about it and so were the players," said Colin Todd. "There was always talk in the media that we hadn't won a cup game and a lot of people kept mentioning it but not in the dressing room.

"I warned them beforehand that if I detected anybody who was not prepared for a mental battle then they would be off. But the message got through and I was delighted that we played our football."

Todd had made four changes from Saturday and all those who came in played their part.

Danny Cadamarteri had been waiting impatiently for his opportunity and, just like Ben Muirhead against the MK Dons, he seized it.

Some of the interplay between Windass and Cadamarteri was a joy to watch and far too slick for a home defence more used to the cumbersome, basic frontmen they see every week in the basement division.

And what can you say about Windass?

Todd is right to argue that City are no one-man team but they do possess a one-man scoring machine. A top quality hat-trick took Windass to seven goals already this term and we're still two games away from the end of August.

Marc Bridge-Wilkinson twice tested keeper Matt Gilks from free-kick moves before City doubled their lead six minutes before the break.

Bridge-Wilkinson's bending effort was tipped over for a corner and from it, Cadamarteri forced home from a couple of yards.

Getting off the mark in his first full start will do him the power of good - how Andy Cooke must wish for that sort of chance to fall his way.

Rochdale were really up against it now but still showed a bit of fight leading up to half-time and Russell Howarth capped a tidy

display between the sticks by pushing away a dangerous downward header from left back Alan Goodall.

But the hosts were growing frustrated and the crowd took it out on referee Carl Boyeson.

City had no complaints - even Windass, who was infamously sent off by his Hull compatriot on Boxing Day.

Holt revealed Rochdale's indiscipline when he was booked for moaning at not getting a corner, and a succession of offsides did nothing to improve their mood.

City, meanwhile, were pushing forward at will, although the corner flag was in more danger than the goal from a Lee Crooks pot-shot at the end of a spirited break from Ben Muirhead.

Rochdale enjoyed their best moment on the hour when newly-arrived substitute Blair Sturrock fizzed a low cross along the six-yard box and just beyond the sliding Lee Cartwright at the far post.

Then Goodall's charge into the box was halted by David Wetherall, who took a bang on the head for his troubles, and the Rochdale resistance faded away.

It was 3-0 City and good night after 67

minutes. The goal was the pick of the bunch - a thumping cross from Bobby Petta to the near post where "you know who" roared in with a diving header past Gilks.

That was too much for Rochdale and when Petta turned Gary Jones inside out on the halfway line, the home skipper snapped and flicked out at the Dutchman. Referee Boyeson sent him packing before booking Petta for his angry reaction.

For the last 20 minutes it became a story of 11 men against ten boys and City attacked at will.

Owen Morrison was given his first run-out of the season and responded by laying on two goals.

A pin-point cross picked out Windass for his hat-trick header and then another well-weighted pass into the path of Bridge-Wilkinson rounded off another flowing move.

Morrison, who had not even made the bench for the previous four matches, could have had one himself but a skidding drive flew straight at Gilks.

City had gone down a gear but there were still two more chances for Petta in the closing minutes.

It was that comfortable. In fact, the most anxious moment of the night was seeing if Wetherall was all right after his crunching block on Goodall.

Fingers are crossed tight whenever the skipper is down but thankfully it was nothing more than concussion.

With the result in the bag, his early departure was merely a precaution. "We're going to win the cup," chimed the large gathering of City fans at the end.

That might be stretching it a bit - for now, City will happily make do with being in round two.