Bury 1 (Lowe 78) Rochdale 0

Photo: Jon Coluccio

Dawson heads straight at Wayne Brown.

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Ryan Lowe's late goal condemned Rochdale to a first defeat in 12 games.

It was a game of two second half chances. Rochdale missed theirs, Chris O'Grady conspiring to fire wide from just six yards out, and Bury took theirs a minute later, Lowe finishing calmly to close the gap on the league leaders.

The rest of the game did not provide much of a spectacle for the Sky television cameras on a Gigg Lane pitch that was more like a battlefield than one which was in any way conducive to free flowing football.

There was nothing to choose between the two sides in the first half as Bury started brightly and the visitors got into it late on.

Wayne Brown was the most part a spectator in the Bury goal, while Frank Fielding, his opposite number, had only Stephen Dawson's well struck effort from 12 yards to deal with, palming the ball out quite comfortably.

The game was a typical no holds barred gung-ho derby but it was a scrap and a battle rather than end-to-end action.

The two defences were well on top in the first half while the tough-tackling Dawson and counterpart Jason Taylor battled it out in the trenches.

O'Grady fired high and wide and then hit a deflected shot straight at Brown as Dale finally gave Bury something to think about towards the end of the half, but there was nothing to suggest that the second half would present anything but another 45 minutes of hard graft for both sides.

Dale grew into the game around the hour mark, with the introduction of debutant Temitope Obadeyi adding impetus to their attacks.

A Craig Dawson header from a corner straight at Brown when either side of the keeper it would have seen Dale take the lead was a sign of things to come.

The visitors pushed on and O'Grady conspired to miss the most golden of chances. A profligate David Buchanan chased the ball down towards his own goal-line under pressure from Obadeyi, the defender looked for the ball to roll out but a touch from the attacker left Buchanan on his backside and the Bolton man free to pick out a cross. O'Grady got goalside of Efe Sodje but then somehow fired wired of a virtual open goal from six yards out.

Rochdale paid the ultimate price for the miss. Within minutes Bury were ahead as Nathan Stanton's challenge bounced up off Brian Barry-Murphy and fell kindly into Lowe's path. The striker took the ball on into the Dale box and made no mistake with a calm low finish, into the net at Fielding's near post.

From that point it was always going to be a big ask for Keith Hill's men to get back into the game, such was the nature of the encounter, with so few chances up for grabs.

Kallum Higginbotham and Andy Haworth came off the bench as Hill played his last cards but there would be no second bite of the cherry.

Instead it was Bury who came closest to the game's second goal as Lowe's scewed shot found Michael Jones at the back post but he could only drill the ball right across goal and behind.

Attendance: 6528

Bury: Brown, Scott, Futcher, Sodje (Cresswell 87), Buchanan, Dawson, Barry-Murphy, Jones, Worrall (Baker 90), Lowe (Bishop 90), Morrell.
Subs (not used): Belford, Newey, Racchi, Allen.

Booked: Sodje.

Rochdale: Fielding, Wiseman, T. Kennedy, Stanton, Dawson, J. Kennedy, Thompson (Obadeyi 56), Atkinson (Haworth 81), Taylor, Dagnall, O'Grady (Higginbotham 81).
Subs (not used): Arthur, McArdle, Flynn, Jones.

Booked: Wiseman, T. Kennedy.

Attempts (on target): Bury 7 (5) Rochdale 8 (4)
Free kicks: Bury 17 Rochdale 11
Corners: Bury 2 Rochdale 4

Referee: A. Penn