Shrewsbury 1 (Holt 47) Rochdale 1 (Dagnall 73) – Full Time Report

Photo: Jon Coluccio

Dagnall wheels away after his stunning strike brings Dale level.

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Shrewsbury and Rochdale shared the points after Chris Dagnall’s fine strike cancelled out former Dale striker Grant Holt’s early second half goal.

Dagnall rifled the ball home from twenty yards for the equaliser and the visitors, having been dominated for large spells of the match, came closest to winning it when Lee Thorpe’s looped header came off the face of the crossbar.

The sides went into the half time break goalless after Shrewsbury squandered a host of opportunities to take the lead.

Darren Moss was the most culpable offender, failing to hit the target with a free shot from eight yards, although Kelvin Langmead and Nick Chadwick hardly covered themselves in glory as they both hit wayward efforts from close range.

Excellent defending by Nathan Stanton denied Shrewsbury a chance early on as Chris Humphrey got the better of Tom Kennedy to fire a low cross into the box that Stanton turned behind before Nick Chadwick could pounce.

Dale carved out the first attempt of the half as Adam Le Fondre curled a shot into the arms of Luke Daniels but was the home side who enjoyed a better start to proceedings, giving the Rochdale backline one or two things to think about despite not testing Frank Fielding through their early pressure.

Former Rochdale striker certainly gave Fielding something to think about when he gathered Daniels’ kick, advanced beyond half way and aimed a precise lob over the Dale keeper from forty yards. Fielding scrambled back to goal only to see the shot sail narrowly past the post.

Darren Moss should have given Shrewsbury the lead their pressure had deserved after a corner fell to the fullback eight yards out. Moss should have burst the net with his shot but sliced the ball horribly wide.

Dale’s goal continued to lead a charmed life as Shrewsbury won a total of seven corners in the half and from the sixth of them the home side should again have taken the lead. The ball fell for Kelvin Langmead on the volley on the back post but the centre half could only steer the ball over the top.

Finally Dale came into things during injury time at the end of the half and came within inches of grabbing an undeserved goal when Will Buckley got to the by-line and fired in a low shot that was scrambled off the line by Daniels.

Within minutes of the re-start Shrewsbury got their goal. Holt notched his second goal against Rochdale this season as the striker turned with his back to goal and left Rory McArdle for dead before hitting a precise finish beyond Fielding.

Keith Hill had brought Lee Thorpe on at half time in the hope that Dale would hold the ball up front and Will Buckley was hauled off immediately after the goal to be replaced by Adam Rundle. Neither change had much of an impact and the home side looked more likely to double their lead than the visitors did to finding an equaliser.

That was until Chris Dagnall popped up 18 yards from goal to hit a wonderful strike into Shrewsbury’s top corner. Graham Coughlan could only partially clear Rundle’s cross with a weak header that fell invitingly for the Dale striker to lash home.

All of a sudden Dale looked the more likely to emerge victorious and they struck the woodwork with five minutes as Thorpe rose to nod Clark Keltie’s free kick goalwards and the ball looped onto the face of the crossbar.

Shrewsbury: Daniels, Moss, Ashton, Coughlan, Langmead, Davies, Murray (Dunfield 82), Holt, Humphery (Askikodi 82), Leslie, Chadwick (Hibbert 69).
Subs (not used): Worrall, Cansdell-Sherrif.

Booked: Hibbert.

Rochdale: Fielding, Ramsden, Kennedy, Stanton, McArdle, Toner, Keltie, Thompson (Thorpe 45), Buckley (Rundle 54) Dagnall, Le Fondre.
Subs (not used): Madine, Newey, Holness.

Booked: Thompson, Thorpe.

Attempts (on target): Shrewsbury 14 (4) Rochdale 7 (3)
Free kicks: Shrewsbury 22 Rochdale 21
Offside: Shrewsbury 4 Rochdale 0
Corners: Shrewsbury 7 Rochdale 2