Rochdale 1 (Buckley 50) Morecambe 1 (Twiss 90) - Full Time Report

Photo: Jon Coluccio

Buckley celebrates his goal with Joe Thompson and Nicky Adams.

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Rochdale 1 (Buckley 50) Morecambe 1 (Twiss 90)

Morecambe scored an injury time equaliser to steal a point and end Rochdale’s four match winning sequence.

Michael Twiss was the hero for the visitors, latching onto Neil Wainwright’s header and rifling beyond Frank Fielding.

Dale led through Will Buckley’s neat finish but they could not grab a second and Morecambe’s late pressure reaped a late, late reward.

Chris Dagnall came closest to breaking the deadlock for the home side as his low finish came back off the post.

Dale had largely the better of the proceedings but both goalkeepers had a quiet time of things in the opening period.

Dale began the game brightly, winning a couple of early corners, and they had first attempt of the evening when Scott Wiseman advanced forward inside Neil Wainwright and sliced a shot narrowly wide of the upright.

Morecambe weathered the early storm and almost took the lead with their first attack. Dale were left short at the back after Will Buckley conceded possession and when Michael Twiss beat Simon Ramsden in the box the danger doubled. Twiss’ low cross hit Wiseman at the near post and deflected narrowly over the Dale crossbar.

The visitors took heart from entering the Dale half for the first time and again they came close to the opener when Gary Hunter whipped a low ball into the box and it narrowly evaded Stuart Drummond and Aaron Taylor on its way behind.

Dale came on strong at the end of the half and they came desperately close to taking the lead when Chris Dagnall latched onto Gary Jones touch, carried the ball into the box and drilled a low shot that came back off the post. Eventually the ball was headed to safety.

The home side began the second half as well as they did the first and this time their pressure saw them get the goal. Wiseman’s deep cross found Will Buckley and the youngster took a touch inside and fired a calm low finish beyond Barry Roche.

Dale pushed for a second and it almost came from the lethal right foot of Ciaran Toner, who drilled an effort low and hard that had Roche scrambling to block at his near post.

Still Dale advanced and the second looked an inevitability when they broke in numbers; Nicky Adams fed a low cross into Lee Thorpe, who flicked the ball nicely into the keeper’s arms rather than into the back of the net as many in the ground expected.

Adams chose to go alone minutes later and drew a fine save from Roche as the winger drilled the ball across low and hard.

Morecambe’s chances had been few and far between but former Dale marksman Rene Howe almost returned to haunt the side that he helped into the play-offs last season when he drilled a low shot inches past the post.

The visitors pressed on deep into added time and they got their equaliser. Dale skipper Gary Jones looked to made a match saving tackle on Howe, stretching full length to take the ball off the striker’s foot but Morecambe were level from a corner less than a minute later.

Goalkeeper Roche came up to cause trouble in the box and when Neil Wainwright headed the ball back into the danger zone, Michael Twiss was all on his own to produce a calm finish beyond an advancing Fielding.

Attendance: 3347.

Rochdale: Fielding, Ramsden, Kennedy, McArdle, Wiseman, Jones, Toner, Adams, Thompson, Dagnall (Thorpe 72), Buckley (Rundle 84).
Subs (not used): Le Fondre, McEvilly, Keltie.

Morecambe: Roche, Yates, Artell, Bentley, Twiss, Hunter, Curtis, Wainwright, Drummond, Taylor (Howe 69), Adams.
Subs (not used): O’Carroll, McStay, Bell, Davies.

Attempts (on target): Rochdale 12 (4) Morecambe 6 (1)
Free kicks: Rochdale 13 Morecambe 16
Offside: Morecambe 2 Rochdale 7
Corners: Rochdale 12 Morecambe 4

Referee: N Swarbrick.