Rochdale Hornets 10 Featherstone Rovers 56: Rovers spoil Matt Calland's Rochdale homecoming with 10-try thrashing

Cameron King and Ashton Golding. PIC: James Heaton.

Featherstone Rovers spoiled Matt Calland's homecoming as they comfortably beat Rochdale Hornets at the Crown Oil Arena on Sunday afternoon.

Former Rochdale player Calland was appointed as the Hornets head coach on Friday but there was no room for sentiment as Featherstone cruised to victory in Lancashire.

Calland also spent two years at Rovers between 1993 and 1995 and made over 100 appearances for Rochdale during three separate spells.

The clinical visitors were 18-0 ahead after just nine minutes, following a rampaging start.

James Harrison played 80 minutes. PIC: James Heaton.

Cameron King went from dummy half for his eighth try of the season on two minutes before Tom Holmes's offload sent James Harrison between the posts.

Harrison helped set up the next score as he slipped James Lockwood through a gap, and the skipper's beautiful reverse pass allowed Dane Chisholm a free run under the uprights.

Rochdale hit back soon after as Shaun Ainscough dived over out wide after gathering Ben Moores's pass.

But the away side soon restored their three-try advantage when Conor Carey forced his way over in the right corner on 23 minutes.

Luke Cooper bagged a brace. PIC: James Heaton.

Rovers increased their lead seven minutes into the second half as Ashton Golding's delayed pass opened up a gap which allowed Josh Hardcastle to stroll over.

Featherstone scored another just moments later as King burst clear and found the supporting Luke Cooper who handed off the full-back to plunge over between the posts.

The visitors kept on coming and scored their seventh try of the afternoon when Josh Walters's flicked pass to Carey saw the winger dart over for his second.

Cooper got his second just after the hour as he broke through a soft tackle to get over by the posts.

Dane Chisholm strolls over. PIC: James Heaton.

Rochdale grabbed a consolation 13 minutes from time, however, as Ben Morris dotted down after picking up a loose ball.

But Featherstone had the last laugh as tries from Walters and Golding took them past the half-century mark, rounding off a well-deserved victory.

Rochdale Hornets: Kay, Ainscough, Morris, Talatoka, Wood, Moore, Abram, Carberry, Cottington. Johnson, Gillam, Mitchell. Subs: Ryan, Millington, Gregory, Wood.

Featherstone Rovers: Golding, Render, Sutcliffe, Hardcastle, Carey, Chisholm, Holmes, Makatoa, King, Harrison, Davies, Walters, Lockwood. Subs: Cooper, Ormondroyd, Day, Maskill.

Referee: Billy Pearson.