Rochdale 0 Port Vale 0

Photo: Jon Coluccio

Dagnall's shot comes down off the crossbar without crossing the line.

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Rochdale and Port Vale shared the spoils in the first drawn game at Spotland of the season. It was a fixture in which the home side dominated the half chances but did not do enough to find an opening goal.

All credit must go to Port Vale for only allowing Dale one clear cut chance on the night. It was one that Chris Dagnall will be having nightmares about after he went to lace the ball home from ten yards and smacked it against the crossbar.

Other than that it was one those nights for Dale. The home side came up against a side that were dogged in their quest for a point and in the end they deserved it as that one bit of magic that would have given Dale the three points ultimately eluded them.

Chris O'Grady, Chris Dagnall and Andy Haworth all came close but Dale did not work Chris Martin in the Vale goal in the opening period.

Port Vale looked a strong unit, determined not to let the league leaders have everything their own way, and theirs was the only shot on target of the half as Lewis Haldane fired straight at Tom Heaton.

Dale soon hit their stride and Andy Haworth picked up from where he left off on Saturday with a mazy run into the Vale box and a finish that squirmed just wide of the far post.

The visitors gave as good as they got early on however and the Dale backline had to be wary from three early corners in what was an evenly contested opening 15 minutes.

Still it was the home side playing the majority of the football and they carved out another opening as Joe Thompson got the wrong side of his full back to whip in an excellent cross. Chris O'Grady could not have connected any better on the volley but the ball caught a defender and the the deflection carried the ball past the post.

With twenty-five minutes gone Dale were well on top and beginning to find their feet in and around the Vale box. Chris Dagnall fired over when well placed on the edge of the box and a goal looked certain when O'Grady spun his man 30 yards out to go clear down the Dale left. The low cross was destined for Dagnall to tap in but Chris Martin did well to block at Dagnall's feet.

Vale's chances had been few and far between but with ten minutes left in the half Tom Heaton was tested as Lewis Haldane drilled a low shot into the keeper's hands from the edge of the box after good work from Marc Richards to provide the assist.

Dale made a lightning fast start to the second half and within a minute Martin had more to do than he had in the entire first half. O'Grady released Haworth down the left and he burst into the box to force a fine save and eventually the ball came for Dagnall to try and dink over the keeper, again Martin did well.

Having survived the scare Port Vale once again were able to match Dale and Heaton made the save of the match as Lewis Haldane's drive caught off Craig Dawson and the ball looped up towards the corner before the Manchester United loan man turned it behind at full stretch.

Keith Hill introduced Gary Jones from the bench to add some impetus and Dale began create chances once more with Haworth, Thompson and Jones himself all firing just wide. In fairness to PortVale it was all half chances coming Dale's way. Dagnall had another has Dawson flicked a half cleared corner into his path, but the striker could only aim a weak header at Martin under pressure.

The Dale boss sought one last injection from the bench in the shape of Kallum Higginbotham and the home side sought a winner right to the end and it should have come through Dagnall who hit the bar from a virtual open net ten yards out. Thompson did superbly to head the ball down and burst into the box to cut the ball back for striker, who could not believe his luck as the ball bounced down off the bar without crossing the line.

By this stage Port Vale attacks were a rarity but they had strong penalty claims turned down as Haldane got beyond Rory McArdle into the box and went down under the defender's challenged. The striker seemed to go to ground easily but it looked like a trip from the Dale substitute.

Into the final minutes and still Dale probed. There was a strong suspicion of handball against Anthony Griffith as Higginbotham took him on inside the box. The referee waved away the penalty claims and eventually the ball fell for Dagnall on the right hand edge of the area, who drilled a shot low that Martin saved well with his legs. Jones had the final say and when his effort from the egde sailed wide it was clear that the points would be shared.

Rochdale: Heaton, Wiseman, T. Kennedy (McArdle 63), Stanton, Dawson, J. Kennedy (Jones 59), Taylor, Haworth (Higginbotham 77), Thompson, O'Grady, Dagnall.
Subs (not used): Arthur, Flynn, Hogan, Rundle.

Port Vale: Martin, Griffith, Richards, Fraser, Yates, Dodds (R. Taylor 73), Collins, Owen, Davies (Glover 78), K. Taylor, Haldane.
Subs (not used): Anyon, McCombe, Loft, Howland, Lawrie.

Booked: Owen

Attempts (on target): Rochdale 16 (4) Port Vale 6 (3)
Freekicks: Rochdale 16 Port Vale 14
Offside: Rochdale 3 Port Vale 2
Corners: Rochdale 5 Port Vale 7