The York defender played a starring role as City stormed to a comfortable 4-0 win at the Crown Oil Arena, a result that reignites the Minstermen’s winning feeling after a harrowing 2-1 defeat at Braintree Town on Saturday.
Fallowfield was one of four changes for Adam Hinshelwood’s side, slotting in at right-back whilst Joe Felix moved into central midfield.
It proved to be an inspired change made by Hinshelwood, as Fallowfield went on to not only aid a clean sheet for York, but to also score the fourth goal of the evening at Rochdale.
For Fallowfield, it was an ideal response after Saturday’s defeat, with last season’s Clubman of the Year admitting that ‘it couldn’t be much better’ from him and his teammates.
“It was a good response from Saturday – it was what we needed,” Fallowfield told BBC York.
“4-0 away from home, it couldn’t be much better. A clean sheet as well.
“H [Harrison Male] has kept a lot of clean sheets as well as Rory [Watson], which is nice, it’s a positive thing.
“We take it into the next game, keeping another clean sheet hopefully.
“They were [all excellent goals], they were well worked and I think building up to my goal, there was quite a lot of passes building up and into that.
“It’s a positive thing, a decent pitch and a clean sheet.
“The biggest thing was that we responded from Saturday, and hopefully now leading up until the end of the season, we can get ourselves into decent shape leading into the play-offs.”
Fallowfield’s goal rounded off the scoring on the evening, with four impressive strikes from City in their route to three points.
Ollie Pearce had scored his and York’s first when a delicate piece of skill finished Felix’s cross, before Pearce played Lewis Richardson through on goal, who struck home emphatically.
Dipo Akinyemi was introduced after a lengthy period in the medical room and he had an immediate impact, first playing through Pearce for his second of the evening.
Even more impressively, Akinyemi then ‘locked eyes’ with Fallowfield and thread an inch-perfect through ball for the right-back, who had ventured into the Rochdale area and poked a strike past substitute goalkeeper Brad Kelly.
Fallowfield dedicated the goal to his partner, whose birthday it is today, and even spoke on the goal celebration from Richardson – as the City loanee intended to celebrate with his parents in the crowd, but Fallowfield directed him to celebrate instead with those travelling away supporters.
It was also Fallowfield’s first goal for York since February 2024, away to Dagenham & Redbridge, which didn’t particularly surprise the 29-year-old.
He explained: “I just caught eyes with him [Akinyemi]. I ran off of the back of the defender and it was obviously perfect timed.
“People are saying that I scuffed it in, but I beg to differ.
“That long [since he last scored]? I don’t score many anyways!
“It was my missus’ birthday today so that one was for her.
“I told him [Richardson] to go to that side where all the fans were, because he was going to go and celebrate over by the corner flag.
“Forget the parents, get to that side!
“Credit to the fans, I don’t know how many there was but probably 800.
“It felt like more, it felt like we were playing at home so massive credit to them, especially on a Tuesday night.
“They’ve been with us all season, they are an absolute credit to our club.”
Fallowfield has found game time somewhat limited this season after the arrival of Felix, who followed Hinshelwood from Worthing and has been a standout player this campaign.
The right-back has managed 26 league appearances, and has started just twice now since November – with his last start including a concerning head injury against FC Halifax Town.
An accidental collision between Fallowfield’s head and former City loanee Luca Thomas’ knee saw the York man sidelined, but he’s now back feeling his best after a period out.
“I’ve obviously got to be patient, Joe Felix has been our best player all season with Cal [Howe] and Mal [Fagan-Walcott],” Fallowfield confessed.
“It’s about being patient and waiting, and my time was tonight. Hopefully I’ve taken that.
“I’m all good now, I’ve been good for a while.
“I think it was 21 days that I had to stay out for, I was just getting certain symptoms like head rush and dizziness.
“I’m back to being myself now, I’ve been back training for quite a bit.
“To be fair I didn’t know what happened when it first happened.
“When I clashed with Luca’s knee, I watched it back once I came back around and was back home and I didn’t actually realise how I’d fell to the side.
“I’ve seen Joe Felix’s reaction and I think Rory came into the changing room to see how I was, whilst the game was going on.
“I said to him ‘what score is it’, and he said ‘it’s 2-1’, and ‘I said who to?’.
“He joked that he should have come in and told me that I’d scored a hat-trick.
“I’m back to full fitness now and I feel good.”
For Fallowfield, he insisted that now is not the time for York to rest on their laurels, with City keen on pushing for promotion via the play-offs.
“There’s no time to rest. Form has been a bit hit and miss, but we’ve got to prepare ourselves for what’s looking like the play-offs.
“It’s two games to write history for this club, and for us as players as well.
“I know for a fact that our fans will turn up and I’d say pack it out, but it’s going to be hard to pack it out at 90 odd thousand seats!
“I know they’ll turn up in their numbers if we get there, that’s our aim, that’s where we want to be.
“We’ve aimed to try and win the league, that looks like it’s done now so we’ve just got to focus on the next seven games.
“We’re building up into the play-offs, so we’ll see where it takes us.”
