Rochdale kept their promotion push alive on April 18, 2026, when Emmanuel Dieseruvwe struck in the 99th minute to seal a 2-1 win at Braintree Town, after Steve Pitt’s side thought they had earned a point that would have crowned York City champions. Braintree were already relegated, but they still pushed Rochdale all the way in their final home game of the season.
Aidan Barlow put Rochdale ahead just past the half-hour mark after a Braintree defensive mix-up, and John Akinde dragged the home side level in the first minute of stoppage time. That set up a finish that left the match hanging on every decision, with Rochdale’s winner arriving deep into added time and changing the picture at the top of the National League.
Pitt said seven minutes were added on and that his side played 10, calling it not acceptable. He said Braintree had done enough to draw and enough to win the match, and added that if his side had a 17-goal-a-season striker, they would have been propelled up the league and put as mid-table. He also said one of Rochdale’s players told him the linesman went to put his flag up and then took it down.
The result mattered beyond Cressing Road because a 1-1 scoreline would have seen York City crowned champions and Rochdale sent to the play-offs. Instead, Rochdale went away with the points, and Pitt made clear he felt his team had been denied by the way the closing stages were handled. He said he had the utmost respect for Rochdale manager Jim McNulty and hoped they would go on and win it, but insisted Braintree had done enough on the day.
For Braintree, the frustration sits alongside a relegation already confirmed before kickoff, but Pitt’s remarks turned the focus to how the game finished rather than where his side had ended up. The unanswered issue is whether the late decision he described will be examined further, because the margin between a draw and a defeat carried real consequences for both Rochdale and York City.
