Rochdale 2 (Dagnall 41, O'Grady 45), Notts County 1

Photo: Jon Coluccio

Dagnall steps up to convert the spot kick and bring Dale level.

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Rochdale came from behind to win 2-1 for the second game running as they closed the gap on top spot to just a point.

Goals from Chris Dagnall and Chris O’Grady saw Keith Hill’s side overturn a 1 goal deficit after Ben Davies had given County a 35th minute lead. Dagnall levelled the game from the spot after being upended whilst O’Grady capitalised on a defensive mix up to give Dale all 3 points.

Keith Hill was forced into two changes and made one other from the side that started against Dagenham at the weekend. Tom Kennedy was suspended which allowed Matt Flynn a rare start whilst injury to Marcus Holness allowed a swift return to the starting 11 for Nathan Stanton after his 4 match suspension. Will Buckley made his first start in 7 as McArdle dropped down to the bench. Jason Taylor and Will Atkinson made their home debuts.

The obvious talk pre-match was about The Magpies riches after their summer takeover and the subsequent appointment of former England manager Sven Goran Eriksson as director of football. With the likes of Kasper Schmeichel in goal, a reported £1M signing from City, you can begin to see the difference in fortunes of these two sides. After sacking manager Ian MacParland, Eriksson appointed his former assistant at Manchester City, Hans Backe as manager but 4 league games into his reign and he is still looking for his first victory in the bread and butter of the League 2. That said though, Backe must have thought his side could be on their way to it's first maximum haul when Ben Davies bundled the ball home although on TV replays it looks to be a Matt Flynn own goal.

In the early stages, both sides pressed forward looking for an opening in awful conditions at Spotland. The playing surface was in perfect condition which is great testament to groundsman Phil Collinson and his team after the torrential rain we have had in recent days. The wind and rain was swirling around Spotland throughout most of the game but both sides tried to play in the right way and produced a decent game. In front of his Hull City boss Phil Brown, on loan winger Will Atkinson was the first to test either keeper when he used some great skill to do a double drag back to give him space but his shot was parried away by Schmeichel in the Magpies goal. The visitors went close on the quarter hour mark when a Davies corner was swung in for Bishop to rise but his header looped off the bar and was pounced upon by Heaton. In an end to end affair Dagnall went close to teeing up O’Grady moments later but his pass fortuitously clipped the heels of a defender as he looked to set up his strike partner. County went straight on the counter attack with Westcarr sending a bending shot agonisingly wide of Heaton’s left hand upright. O’Grady was next to try his luck but fired wide and Dagnall went even closer just after when his teasing run saw the diminutive striker cut inside and fire a dipping shot that had Schmeichel rooted but he saw his effort crash off the underside of the crossbar.

Either side looked like they could take the lead with any high ball into the box causing problems for the defences with the wind causing havoc. Just after the half hour mark the visitors thought they had scored the opener when a bullet header by Graham Lee from a Davies corner was cleared off the line by Jason Taylor. It didn’t take much longer for the Magpies to take the lead. Atkinson didn’t clear his lines when the opportunity arose and when Westcarr found the ball at his feet he whipped in a teasing cross which had the Dale defence stretching to reach. As Davies was about to strike it appears that Flynn inadvertently put past his own keeper to give Backe’s side the lead with 10 first half minutes remaining.

As with the game on Saturday, Hill’s side didn’t let going behind faze them and within 3 minutes were offered the opportunity to level the game when a bustling run from Dagnall ended with the striker being hauled down inside the box although it was the linesman on the nearside that flagged for the foul. Referee Miller acting upon his assistant pointed to the spot which sparked scenes of chaos from the County players as they remonstrated with the officials. After more gamesmanship from Schmeichel, Dagnall stepped up to smash the ball past the despairing dive of the Magpies stopper for his 10th goal of the season. As the half looked to be ebbing towards stalemate, one of the funniest spectacles I have witnessed at a football match occurred. An innocuous punt up field from Heaton had the Notts central defence pairing of Lee and Hunt back-peddling but the pair got in each other's way. As they tumbled to the ground in each others arms, O’Grady seized upon the mistake to bear down on the onrushing Schmeichel but the on loan Oldham striker just rounded him to slot home Dale’s 2nd. Stephen Hunt, possibly still embarrassed by the unfortunate coming together with Lee was lucky to stay on the pitch after hacking down Dagnall as he went for the jugular. Kennedy’s free kick was blocked and the half time whistle went with Dale 2-1 to the good.

The second was a fairly one way affair with the visitors pushing Dale back at every opportunity, ably assisted by a strong wind blowing in from the Sandy. Heaton’s kicks were often blowing back towards him meaning the home side were struggling to clear their lines although the first attack came from Dale. Buckley terrorised down the left before whipping in a teasing cross that had half-time sub John Thompson heading away from under his own bar. Hill’s men seemed content with inviting pressure from the Magpies and whilst defending manfully, hitting them on the break. Just after the hour another defensive mix up almost allowed Dagnall in but his effort was blocked for a corner with the follow up flag kick acrobatically turned over the bar by Will Atkinson. County were getting frustrated at Dale’s defensive display and were being limited to pot shots from distance although as we approached the final 15 minutes Dale fans hearts were in their mouth when Clapham flashed a shot across the face of goal inches wide.

Rochdale had chances but O’Grady’s cross deserved more and when the 2 front men for the home side linked well, Dagnall’s shot was blocked by Thompson. All eyes were on the referee on 80 minutes when a Davies cross hit a Dale player with huge appeals from the visitors for a spot kick of their own waved away by Miller. Second half sub Matt Ritchie seemed to have added a bit of pace that was causing Hill’s men problems but when he got a shooting opportunity, he blazed over Heaton’s goal frame. The watching Eriksson must have thought his team had taken a point in the latter stages when an inch perfect cross found its way through to Akinbiyi on the edge of the 6 yard box but his first time effort lacked power or direction and Heaton gleefully gathered to seal the 3 points.

It was a decent game to which both sets of players must be given credit as the conditions really weren’t condusive to pretty football. Hill's men are now just a point behind Bournemouth and with no game this weekend, the Dale gaffer is giving his players some ‘down time’ with their families before returning for the game at Valley Parade against Bradford next Tuesday.

Keith Hill said after the game: “We went one down, possibly against the run of play. It was a good game, both sides tried to play good football. I think it was an own goal from Flynn which we should have dealt with a little bit better on the edge of the box, we shouldn’t be taking too many chances around our own defensive third and we got punished for it. We got the equaliser quite quickly and the game changed on that decision (the penalty) I think. I'm not too sure if it was a penalty, the referee has given it. Sometimes you get them sometimes you don’t but Chris Dagnall’s dispatched it well. Today’s game and the today’s media will be talking about whether that should have been a penalty and Notts County will probably feel hard done to but the other 89 minutes, let’s be right we deserved the win. I am really proud firstly of the defensive structure and secondly our counter attacking play. Maybe it’s a bit alien at home to do that but we have got to win more than one way. I'd love to be scoring 5 or 6 goals every game but we are playing against good sides so we have to learn to win differently and today I think we did. We are looking to recruit players with desire and commitment and if they don’t have those attributes then we don’t want them. That’s why we have shown we can come from behind (ie Morcambe, Luton, Dagenham and Notts). The problem is when we get those players with those plusses, they don’t stay here very long. Character is everything to us, you can build everything from a foundation of that. We have shown great character today, we only had 14 fit professionals prior to the game. We named 2 scholars on the bench and just 6 subs. We brought in Jason Taylor but had to allow Rundle out as part of the deal. Adam wanted first team football which we couldn’t guarantee. If we want to get promoted we have got to hope that the chairman and the board of directors don’t sell anyone, if we want promotion we have got to retain our better players. If we do that we will make a really good fist of it. The previous 2 season the teams that have gained promotion haven’t sold anyone but we’ve had to. I know we have to but lets do it at the right time. The manager always seems to carry the can when results go against them but I want to keep players that are going to make me successful, I don’t want people to say didn’t they [Hill and assistant Flitcroft] do well after having to sell all their best players. I want to keep them and push on”.

Attendance: 2779

Rochdale: Heaton, Wiseman, Flynn, Stanton, Dawson, J Kennedy, Taylor, Buckley (Toner), Atkinson (Higginbotham), O’Grady, Dagnall.
Subs: (not used) Taberner, McArdle, Brown, Spencer

Notts County: Schmeichel, Maloney, Lee, Bishop, Davies, Clapham, Hunt (Thompson 46), Rodgers (Ritchie 60), Westcarr, Jackson (Hawley 75), Akinbiyi.
Subs: (not used) Hoult, Edwards, Ravenhill, Facey

Booked: Lee, Hunt, Johnson

Attempts (on target): Rochdale 16 (7) Notts County 18 (9)
Corners: Rochdale 13 Notts County 8

Referee: Mr N Miller