Rochdale 2 (Le Fondre 26, McEvilly 84) Lincoln 2 (Kennedy og 48, N’Guessan 62) - Full Time Report

Photo: Jon Coluccio

Adam Le Fondre celebrates after notching Dale's opener.

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Rochdale came from behind to pick up a point at home to Lincoln. Lee McEvilly’s simple finish gave Dale the equaliser after Lincoln had turned the game on its head at the start of the second half.

Dale led at half time thanks to Adam Le Fondre’s close range finish. But Lincoln came out all guns blazing in the second half. They were level when Tom Kennedy put Anthony Elding’s cross into his own net and then Danny N’Guessan struck the goal of the match to give Lincoln the lead.

The early exchanges offered no sign of the excitement that was to come in what was a very entertaining encounter.

Lincoln had a couple of early potshots but there was nothing to trouble on loan debutant Frank Fielding in the Rochdale goal and it was the home side who carved out the first clear chance. Ciaran Toner played a slide-rule pass for Will Buckley to steal in on goal and his finish flashed narrowly beyond the far post.

Having started to take control of the possession, Dale soon had the lead. Adam Rundle cut in from the left wing to ghost his way to edge of the box. The winger’s shot was well struck but Bob Birch in the Lincoln should have held it. As it was the stopper could only parry it out, leaving Adam Le Fondre to smash the ball into the roof of the net.

Lincoln had offered very little thanks to the offside antics of their strikers Geoff Horsfield and Anthony Elding but Fielding was finally tested was on the half hour as Elding’s shot flew through a crowd of bodies, the Blackburn loanee turning the ball quite comfortably away.

Dale made the worst possible start to the second half with Lincoln equalising within two minutes of the re-start. Elding broke down the left hand edge of the Dale penalty area, his low cross evaded Fielding and Tom Kennedy succeeded only in volleying the ball into his own goal.

Lincoln looked a changed side and looked more than capable of taking the lead. They came within a whisker of doing so when Danny N’Guessan found space on the edge of the box to rifle a shot inches past Fielding’s right hand upright.

Rory McArdle rescued Dale from a certain Elding goal when he stole in front of the striker to produce a diving header and divert N’Guessan’s superb low cross out for a corner.

N’Guessan was having an excellent start to the half and it peaked with a wonderful goal. The ball dropped to the winger just inside the Dale box, he turned Simon Ramsden as if he was not there, and rattled the ball into the top corner, giving Fielding no chance.

Dale simply could not handle N’Guessan and when Elding dummied the ball on the half way line the winger escaped once more. McArdle forced him wide but he was able to produce another fine strike, which hit the foot of the post and flew to safety.

Keith Hill threw all three substitutes into the mix in search of the of the equaliser and it looked as though it would come when Lee McEvilly slotted in Chris Dagnall but Birch was out quickly to smother the striker’s shot. A host of chances followed as Buckley drew a fine save from Birch as he marched into the box with consummate ease. From the resulting corner McArdle headed narrowly over the top. Minutes later McEvilly was in on the act as he went clear on Birch’s goal but the substitute slid his finish wide of the post.

Finally the pressure told as Dagnall got to the byline and cut the ball back for McEvilly to finish with ease.

Dale pushed for the winner and McEvilly and Buckley both had late chances to swing the game back in Dale’s favour but Lincoln’s vast second half improvement saw them leave Spotland with a deserved point. 

Attendance: 2897

Rochdale: Fielding, Ramsden, Kennedy, Stanton, McArdle, Rundle, Jones, Thompson (McEvilly 61), Toner (Keltie 71), Le Fondre (Dagnall 68), Buckley.
Subs (not used): Evans, Spencer.

Lincoln: Birch, Beevers, Sinclair (Mullarkey 45), Kovacs, Hone (Oakes 72), Brown, Kerr, Frecklington,, N’Guessan, Horsfield, Elding.
Subs (not used): Duffy, John-Lewis, Patulea. 

Attempts (on target): Rochdale 13 (6) Lincoln 10 (3)
Free kicks: Rochdale 29 Lincoln 15
Offside: Rochdale 2 Lincoln 12
Corners: Rochdale 8 Lincoln 7 

Referee: M Oliver.