Deal rounded off 2015 in style by chalking up their fourth win in a row at the Charles Ground on Monday.
Two-goal Rene Rivera led the way with arguably his best performance of the season as Derek Hares’ side moved up to 14th position in the Southern Counties East League table – their highest placing since the first month of the campaign.
After surviving a nervy opening the Hoops went on to control the first half and could easily have gone in at the break with more than a 2-0 cushion. They went in front with eight minutes gone when goalkeeper Henry Newcombe’s clearance was headed on by Michael Yianni for Rivera to lob over advancing Rochester goalie Shaun Wicks.
Andy Miller was then denied by a superb save from Wicks before Rivera set up Deal’s second goal on 24 minutes, firing a low cross-show against the far post and Connor Coyne reacted quickest to fire home the rebound.
Rochester’s only real reply was a 20-yard free kick from Freeman Rogers which clipped the top of the Deal crossbar before Dan Gonzalez-Bello was denied by a last-ditch Lee Scott tackle on the stroke of half-time.
But within just 30 seconds of the restart the Medway side were back in the game when, with Deal again slow out of the blocks, Gonzalez-Bello forced the ball home from close range.
That was just the start Matt Hume’s side were looking for and United then enjoyed their best spell of the game for the next quarter of an hour but then, with 61 minutes gone, came the game’s decisive moment. Scott made a tremendous 60-yard upfield dash before being brought down in the Rochester area by Wicks and Miller casually tucked away the resulting penalty.
With their two-goal cushion restored, the Hoops relaxed and began to reproduce some of their neat first-half passing football and, fittingly, it was Rivera who made it 4-1. The young left-winger again used his power and pace to cut inside past two defenders before shooting low into the corner on 68 minutes.
Six minutes later Newcombe produced a great double save following a corner to effectively end Rochester’s resistance and ensure that the Hoops will enter 2016 with renewed optimism.
Deal: Newcombe, Hark, A Coyne, Scott, Hill, Bigginton (Christian 70mins), Miller (Ashman 78mins), Yianni, C Coyne, Anderson (Smith 47mins), Rivera.
Rochester Utd: Wicks, Alderman, Rothery, Carr, Rogers, Holmes, Collis, Whittaker (McClean 85mins), Gonzalez-Bello, Parrish, Payne (Earle 80mins).
