Improved Performance as Dale Earn Point at Cheltenham

Cheltenham Town 1 - 1 Rochdale

Rochdale put in a much more solid display than the one which saw them capitulate at Stockport County on Valentines Day and they took a point from the game at play-off contenders Cheltenham. The visitors could have taken more from the fixture had they finished their opportunities having controlled the game for the majority against a Cheltenham side that struggled for creativity all afternoon.

Rickie Lambert capped an excellent display with the equalising goal in the second half, cancelling out Steve Guinan’s first half free header. The goal conceded was the one blot on the defence’s copybook which remained reasonably solid throughout having welcomed former Dale player Dave Bayliss back to its ranks on loan from Wrexham. Bayliss worked tirelessly; good in the air and solid in the tackle, he ensured that the lacklustre Cheltenham strike force seldom threatened.

The opening exchanges were even as both sides struggled to come to terms with the blustery conditions, with passes regularly going astray and both sides seeming to lack the confidence to get the ball down and play. Rochdale coped better than their opponents early on and began to dominate the play with Lee Cartwright taking up some good positions down the right and better finishing could have enabled him to open the scoring on more than one occasion. He hit a weak shot straight at Higgs when he faced the Cheltenham keeper and then from a tight angle Higgs was beaten but the ball hit the outside of the post.

With Rochdale dominating the first half chances but with their strikers failing to find the mark, most notably Christie who blazed over twice having got into good positions by beating Robins defenders, Cheltenham took the lead against the run of play courtesy of some typically poor defending on Dale’s part. Cheltenham’s only effort on target in the entire half brought the goal as an unmarked Steve Guinan headed comfortably past Gilks following Caines cross from the right.

Dale had been the better of the two sides in the opening period and they went on to dominate even further during the second half. Well-timed efforts from Jones and Cooksey from just outside the box brought no reward but Dale continued to search for the equaliser with the strong wind assisting their cause. Lambert was next to test Higgs with a sharp shot the end product of some neat footwork which had the Cheltenham defence beaten but the shot did not beat the Cheltenham keeper who produced another fine save.

The visitors deserved an equaliser for their efforts but the Dale fans were beginning to resign themselves to another defeat despite the excellent second half display. Finally, the goal came with eight minutes to play. Ramsden’s low cross was touched down by Lambert and he produced a calm finish and gave Higgs no chance, this time, to deny Dale their equaliser. Dale continued to attack in search of a winner that even the staunchest of Cheltenham fans would not have said they did not deserve. A golden opportunity was presented to substitute Chris Dagnall after more excellent work by Lambert in getting to the by-line on the Dale left. The goal scorer cut the ball back to the young striker but Higgs confirmed a man of the match display with another superb save.

Disaster could have struck for Dale at the end of the game had the referee not waved away strong Cheltenham penalty claims. Rory McArdle climbed all over Steve Guinan in the box for what looked to be a clear spot kick but the referee showed no interest despite the protests, perhaps the official agreed that a point was the least the visitors deserved. Despite not taking a win from Whaddon Road, there could be no complaints over Dale’s display, one which is certainly a step in the right direction after recent weeks. A similar performance could see Rochdale emerge victorious in Tuesday’s derby game against Bury, a win that is desperately needed.