Football: Rochdale 0 - 0 Ipswich

Crown Oil Arena

Rochdale and Ipswich had to settle for a point apiece in a dour contest on Easter Monday (5 April 2021) with neither side registering a shot on target. Alan Judge fired narrowly wide in the only real goalmouth action of the first half whilst Hayden Roberts spared his captain's blushes when Eoghan O’Connell’s short back pass was intercepted by Kayden Jackson.

Dale slightly improved after the break but never tested Tomas Holy; Matty Done coming the closest to a goal when his shot from a tight angle beat Holy but not Luke Woolfenden at the near post. The point didn’t do either side any good as Dale remain bottom of the table whilst Ipswich are three points outside the playoff places.

Having two games in quick succession over the Easter weekend, Dale manager Brian Barry-Murphy made two changes from the side that lost at Portsmouth on Good Friday. Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, whose mistake lead to the opening goal at Fratton Park was rested with Jay Lynch getting a rare start. Hayden Roberts was preferred to Paul McShane in the three-man defence.

The first half was devoid of any real quality in a game played in blustery conditions. Ipswich’s Alan Judge took a pot shot from 20 yards which whistled wide of Lynch’s right hand post.

As the game entered one minute of added time at the end of the first period, Dale captain O’Connell under hit a back pass to Lynch and with Kayden Jackson racing in on the loose ball, Hayden Roberts was alert to enough to snuff out the danger.

Matty Done had a claim for a penalty midway through the second half and just as it looked like the referee was about to make up his mind, the offside flag went up meaning Mr Lewis didn’t have the tough call to make.

Done came closest for Dale when he burst into the box on the left with his clipped shot from a narrow angle beating Holy but not Woolfenden who easily cleared for a Dale corner.

The point sees Dale move to within four points of safety with a couple of games in hand over some sides above but they need to get some maximum points on the board if they are to stand a chance of avoiding the drop.

Rochdale: Lynch, Osho, O’Connell ©, Roberts, Keohane, Done, Rathbone, Grant (Newby 65), Shaughnessy, Baah (Dooley 65), Beesley
Substitutes: (not used) Bazunu, McNulty, McShane, Morley, Vale

Ipswich: Holy, Chambers ©, Woolfenden, Nsiala, Ward, Edwards (Dobra 72), Bishop (Kenlock 85), Dozzell, Judge (Hawkins 72), Parrott (Harrop 72), Jackson (Drinan 80)
Substitutes:(not used) Cornell, McGuiness

Referee: Mr R Lewis
Assistants: Mr D Ford & Mr C Ward
Fourth Official: Mr A Haines