Woking slipped to a 3-0 defeat at Rochdale in the National League on Saturday.

Cards boss Michael Doyle made four changes to the side which beat Hartlepool United. Dion Kelly-Evans returned from suspension and replaced Jacob Jones, who was benched. Timi Odusina returned in place of Ben Wynter, and Harry Beautyman replaced Jermaine Anderson. Deon Moore started in place of Lewis Walker, who joined Charley Kendall and Matt Ward on a strong Woking bench.

Dale made four changes after a late victory at Yeovil last time out, but one player keeping his place was former Card Tarryn Allarakhia at wing-back. The hosts’ defensive record stood out before the match, having conceded just twice in five games.

Rochdale kicked off towards the Sandy Lane End, and immediately dominated possession, with the Cards allowing them to keep the ball. The hosts took the lead in the fifth minute, when good build-up play saw Aaron Henry’s pinpoint low cross turned home by Kairo Mitchell.

With Dale one up, they were still continuing to dominate the ball, and when Henry fired in a set piece, Mitchell could and maybe should have tapped in from a yard or two.

A simple long ball, helped by a flick on from Mitchell, saw Devante Rodney with the goal at his mercy on 38 minutes, but his dink past Woking keeper Will Jaaskelainen went agonisingly wide of the bottom corner.

Allarakhia ran down the wing, got lucky with a couple of deflections, and put a ball across goal which was somehow scooped over by the leg of Tunji Akinola, as Woking looked for half-time.

Rochdale were excellent in the first half, and might have felt a 1-0 lead was a bit too precarious given their dominance.

Unchanged from the first half line-up, Woking kicked off the second half towards the Sandy Lane End. The first chance, however, fell to the hosts. After a bouncing ball wasn’t dealt with, Rodney fired wide with his left foot.

On 53 minutes, a double change for the Cards saw Kelly-Evans and Odusina replaced by Kendall and Ward.

Almost immediately, Woking created their first chance as a Dale Gorman free kick was headed narrowly wide by Max Dyche. Rochdale hit back through the impressive Tobi Adebayo-Rowling, whose cross was narrowly headed wide by Mitchell.

A superb finish from Henry doubled Dale’s advantage on the hour mark, as he curled a brilliant strike into the top corner from just outside the penalty area.

Jaaskelainen needed to make a top save low down to his left to deny Rodney from a one-on-one with 72 minutes on the clock, before somehow Connor McBride couldn’t finish after slaloming his way through a ruck of defenders a minute later.

The icing was put on Rochdale’s cake on 87 minutes. Mitchell was stronger than Cian Harries and turned his man before firing into the roof of the net from an angle to make it 3-0.

Woking: Jaaskelainen, Moss, Odusina (Ward 53), Harries, Dyche (Anderson 68), Kelly-Evans (Kendall 53), Gorman, Akinola, Andrews, Beautyman, Moore (Walker 60).

Rochdale: McNicholas, Gordon, East, Henry, Allarakhia (Armstrong 69), Mitchell (Barlow 94), Rodney (Burger 88), Adebayo-Rowling (Alfa 90), Ferguson, McBride (Henderson 76), Beckwith.

By William Bewsey