Leven strike extends home misery for Dale

Rory McArdle's header goes narrowly wide in one of few chances for Dale

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Rochdale 0
Chesterfield 1 (Leven 89)

Peter Leven scored from a late free kick to give Chesterfield victory and extend Rochdale’s run of consecutive home defeats to five.

A game of few chances seemed destined to end goalless until Leven drilled a low free kick into the bottom corner of the net from 20 yards after the referee had deemed Jack Lester to have been brought down by David Perkins.

Rochdale did not play badly but only managed one shot in target in the entire 90 minutes. That statistic tells everything about their decent football that completely lacked penetration.

Their wingers, Adam Rundle and Kallum Higginbotham, were a threat throughout but strikers Lee Thorpe and Rene Howe were unfortunate not to be in the right place at the right time to turn home a few excellent crosses.

Rochdale’s best chances came early in the first half. Rundle headed narrowly wide from Thorpe’s knock down and Chesterfield cleared the ball off the line when Thorpe connected with Rundle’s corner.

Chesterfield’s only effort of the half came after a mistake by Rory McArdle. His back-pass to James Spencer was woefully short and David Dowson took advantage. He cut the ball back for Lester, who should have scored, but his finish was straight at Spencer.

A cagey affair might have been expected with the two sides locked next to each in the table, just outside the playoff positions, and given Rochdale’s poor home form.

Rochdale’s problems stem from a lack of goals at home. Of the four strikers available to Keith Hill only one, Adam Le Fondre, has scored at home this year and that was a penalty in Dale’s New Year’s Day win over Darlington. Lee Thorpe and Will Buckley are yet to score for the club and Rene Howe has a solitary strike to his name.

Thorpe came close to opening his account near the end of the first half but he powered his header from Higginbotham’s cross narrowly over the crossbar.

The game opened up slightly in the second half. However, the chances completely dried up for Rochdale and Chesterfield finally began to demonstrate something of a goal threat but Lester was unable to demonstrate the finishing ability that has made him the league’s top scorer so far this season.

Early in the half he was played through and was able to round Spencer but he was forced out wide and Dale defenders were able to get back and crowd him out.

Lester was clearly the vistor’s main goal threat but minutes later he could only steer Dowson’s cross straight at Spencer.
The longer the game went on the more a goalless draw seemed likely with the two defences well on top. This was evidenced when Nathan Stanton made two tremendous challenges inside his own box, taking the ball away from first Lester and then Jamie Lowry in quick succession.

Rochdale’s only real chance of the half came when Higginbotham’s free kick fell at the feet of Rory McArdle but he was unable to force the ball home at the back post and the ball was cleared.

When Chesterfield substitute Jamie Ward stabbed the ball straight at Spencer that looked to be that and Rochdale might at least have a point to cling to and stop the home rot. Then Leven struck and raced away to celebrate in front of the Chesterfield fans, the Dale fans left en masse.

Rochdale boss Keith Hill was obviously disappointed with another home defeat. He said: “I’m deflated because we did not deserve that. I would have settled for a point to break the losing sequence. I don’t know where the goals are going to come from at home but I did not think we deserved that defeat.

“We’ve got Chris Dagnall in the treatment room and we have sold Glenn Murray. That’s 42 goals from last season that we have not got now.

“I can’t fault the effort and endeavour of the strikers. They are doing well but they are not putting the ball in the onion bag.”

Attendance: 3,018

Rochdale: Spencer, Ramsden, Stanton, McArdle, Perkins, Basham, Jones, Rundle, Higginbotham (Muirhead 86), Howe (Le Fondre 58), Thorpe (Buckley 86).
Subs not used: Holness, Doolan.

Booked: Stanton.

Chesterfield: Roche, Picken, Hartley, Kovacs, Downes, Lowry, Kerry, Winter, Leven, Dowson (Ward 67), Lester.
Subs not used: Niven, Fletcher, Cooper, O’Hare.

Booked: Hartley, Downes, Ward.

Attempts (on target): Rochdale 6 (1) Chesterfield 6 (4)
Freekicks: Rochdale 24 Chesterfield 21
Offside: Rochdale 3 Chesterfield 9
Corners: Rochdale 3 Chesterfield 3

Referee: C Oliver.