Rochdale 2 (Thorpe 27, Le Fondre 83) Exeter 2 (Stewart 55, 84 pen) – Full Time Report

Photo: Jon Coluccio

Ciaran Toner challenges Berti Cozic.

31 More Image(s) In Gallery

Rochdale and Exeter shared the spoils in an entertaining encounter at Spotland. Dale remain in the automatic promotion spots in the league but it couldn’t be much tighter, with all of the sides in the top seven failing to win bar Bury, who overtake Dale into second place.

Dale led twice but were pegged back by a brace from prolific lower league striker Marcus Stewart.

There was late drama, as Dale looked to have won it when Adam Le Fondre scored the rebound from his saved penalty, but the lead lasted less than a minute as Exeter won a penalty of their own for Stewart to dispatch.

Rochdale led fellow promotion chasers Exeter 1-0 at the break thanks to Lee Thorpe’s close range header.

Rory McArdle headed back post corner into the six yard box and the striker was on hand to nod the ball home.

Although had played the majority of the football, and had chances to extend their lead, they didn’t have things all their own way, with Dean Moxey’s cannoning a free kick back off the cross bar the most notable of Exeter’s chances.

Keith Hill made wholesale changes to the side that lost at Chesterfield in midweek. Ciaran Toner replaced the suspended Clark Keltie, while there were re-calls for Nathan Stanton at centre half, Will Buckley on the wing and Lee Thorpe up front.

Dale enjoyed all of the early possession but it was Exeter who crafted the first chance. A presentable one it was too as Adam Stansfield got the wrong side of Nathan Stanton. Stansfield’s shot beat Frank Fielding in the Dale goal but the angle was too narrow and the ball flew across goal and wide.

The home side continued to press, with Exeter not helped by the fact that former Dale man Alex Russell was forced off with a knee injury on 20 minutes. Dale’s first chance came a minute later, with Thorpe’s header forcing a parry from Paul Jones.

Fielding was beaten again when Exeter won a free kick 25 yards out. Dean Moxey hit a sublime strike and the ball cannoned back off the crossbar. Steve Basham looked set to finish off the bits and pieces but Tom Kennedy did superbly to hook the ball clear from under the striker’s nose.

When Dale earned a free kick from a similar distance a minute later they had the lead. Kennedy forced an excellent save from Jones from the set piece, diving full stretch to palm the ball over, but from the resulting corner Dale were in front. Rory McArdle rose highest at the back post to nod Mark Jones’ set piece into the six yard box and Thorpe was on hand to nod home.

Thorpe and Dagnall combined well to create another Dale opening with the goalscorer nodding the ball into Dagnall’s path inside the box. The striker took the ball wide and couldn’t get enough on his shot to prod the ball beyond Jones, who saved comfortably.

Dale continued to push for a second. Dagnall held the ball up on the edge of the box and fed Rundle, whose well struck shot was deflected narrowly wide of the upright.

A superb burst from Ciaran Toner from the midfield brought Dale’s next chance. It would have been a superb goal if Thorpe could have finished it off after Toner found Buckley to whip an excellent ball in at the near post that Thorpe volleyed narrowly wide.

The start to the second half was a scrappy affair and Dale skipper Stanton looked to take matters into his own hands to bring his side a second. The centre half advanced to the edge of the Exeter box before sliding the ball to Thorpe, who shot narrowly wide on the stretch.

The visitors made an innocuous start to the second period but they drew level from a chance that the Dale defence really should have denied. Stansfield got further along the left touchline than he should have been allowed and then clipped the ball into the box for Stewart whose header struck McArdle before bouncing kindly for the striker to finish at the second attempt.

Buoyed by their goal, Dale had to weather something of a storm from the Grecians to prevent them from falling behind. The visitors began to generate more space for their runs from midfield and took some last ditch defending to prevent further chances.

With Dale struggling to create Keith Hill introduced top scorer Adam Le Fondre from the bench in search of a winner.

The game slowly petered out but Le Fondre it was who made the difference for the home side. He latched onto a punt up field from Stanton, nodded the ball into the area and was ruthlessly hacked down by Troy Archibald-Henville. Le Fondre’s spot kick was straight at Jones, who saved, but the striker rifled in the rebound.

The lead lasted no more than a minute. Exeter substitute Stuart Fleetwood burst into the box and was brought down with equal panache by Stanton. There was no hesitation from the referee in pointing to the spot and there could be no complaints from the home side. Stewart dispatched the spot kick with aplomb. 

Rochdale: Fielding, Wiseman, Kennedy, Stanton, McArdle, Jones, Toner, Rundle, Buckley, Dagnall (Le Fondre 66), Thorpe.

Subs (not used): Ramsden, Newey, Thompson, Russell.

Booked: Thorpe, Stanton.

Exeter: Jones, Archibald-Henville, Edwards, Seaborne, Sercombe, Gill, Stewart, Russell (Cozic 21), Moxey, Basham (McAllister 40), Stansfield (Fleetwood 75).

Subs (not used): Marriott, Tully.

Booked: Archibald-Henville.

Attempts (on target): Rochdale 11 (6) Exeter 7 (2)
Free kicks: Rochdale 7 Exeter 22
Offside: Rochdale 3 Exeter 4
Corners: Rochdale 10 Exeter 6