Rochdale 4 (Dagnall 9, Green 64 og, Dawson 71, O'Grady 74) Rotherham 0

Photo: Jon Coluccio

Chris O'Grady keeps the ball away from Josh Walker.

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Chris O'Grady's centre-forward masterclass paved the way for Rochdale's second half demolition of promotion chasing Rotherham.

O'Grady ran the visiting defence ragged, setting up two Dale goals and scoring one of his own. The two sides were well matched going into the break, separated only by Chris Dagnall's early goal, but Rotherham had no answer to Dale's second half play as Jamie Green put through his own net before Craig Dawson and O'Grady put the league leaders eight points clear at the top.

Rochdale led at the break as Dagnall put the demons of Saturday's open net miss to bed. The striker put away Chris O'Grady's low cross early on and despite a plethora of chances for both sides there were no further goals in what was one of the most entertaining halves of football Spotland is likely to see this season.

Rotherham began brightly and came close just a couple of minutes in when Kevin Ellison got the wrong side of Rory McArdle and fired just wide across goal from a tight angle.

The home side responded in perfect fashion, taking the lead from their first foray into the Rotherham box. Chris O'Grady broke clear down the right and squared the ball for Dagnall, who made no mistake from six yards.

Buoyed by the goal, Dale sought an instant second and Craig Dawson brought a solid save from Andy Warrington when he nodded Tom Kennedy's free kick across goal.

It was end to end stuff and Frank Fielding made three fine saves to keep his side ahead; all this inside a frantic first twenty minutes. A dangerous Millers corner was nodded down just in front, the keeper doing well to palm it out, before shots from Josh Walker and Ellison bobbled in front of Fielding and he was hard pressed to turn them behind.

The first twenty-five minutes were played at a million miles an hour and both sides did well to try and play football on a difficult pitch. It was a while before another chance came but no let up in the tempo. Rochdale pushed again towards the head of the half and Warrington was at full stretch to turn Tom Kennedy's well struck free kick over the bar.

There was no let up at the start of the second half. A succession of Dale corners ended when Gary Jones blazed a volley over the top and at the other end Rotherham came within inches of a leveller. Danny Harrison fired a low 30 yard shot through a crowd of bodies that Fielding turned behind at full stretch but the Dale keeper blotted his copybook somewhat when he got the wrong side of the resulting corner and Will Atkinson had to clear Adam Le Fondre's header off the line.

Rochdale responded, as Jason Kennedy prodded a half cleared corner towards goal but Rotherham cleared behind. Kennedy then made a burst into the box of his own accord and was well tackled after he had skipped beyond two men.

By now the home side were well on top and second goal did not seem far away. O'Grady was always going to be the likely architect, the former Rotherham man was having a stormer against his former club. The goal looked certain when O'Grady found Dagnall again in space but the striker took one touch too many and the chance was gone.

It was a freak goal when Rochdale's second did come. O'Grady put another ball into the six yard box and, with few Dale players in close attention, Rotherham completely lost their heads. Walker smashed his clearance across the face of his own goal and it bounced up off the shins of Jamie Green and into the net.

Dale dominated from that point on with Rotherham looking absolutely abject. Two became three when Craig Dawson rose highest to nod Tom Kennedy's corner into the far corner.

It was three goals inside ten minutes when O'Grady beat the offside trap, turned back inside his marker, and rolled a low right foot shot beyond Warrington.

From then on it was attack against defence as the home side could have run up five or six. Will Atkinson put a header from an O'Grady cross just wide and then exchanged the assist as he broke from the half way line to put O'Grady in, the striker firing straight at Warrington with another right foot effort.

The closest Dale came to a fifth was after a move in which they must have strung together nearly 20 passes. The ball eventually came to Gary Jones who released the trigger from 20 yards. Warrington saved low to his right but Dagnall should have finished off the bits and pieces. Instead Warrington made a wonder save to keep the score down to four.

Attendance: 3502

Rochdale: Fielding, McArdle, T. Kennedy, Stanton, Dawson (Flynn 80), Toner, J. Kennedy, Jones, Atkinson, O'Grady, Dagnall.
Subs (not used): Arthur, Haworth, Higginbotham, Obadeyi, Holness, Thompson.

Booked: Dawson, T. Kennedy, Atkinson.

Rotherham: Warrington, Harrison, Sharps (Green 23), Fenton, Pope (Taylor 67), Law, Lynch, Ellison (Marshall 67), Gunning, Walker, Le Fondre.
Subs (not used): Cummins, Joseph, Mills, Annerson.

Attempts (on target): Rochdale 17 (10) Rotherham 9 (5)
Free kicks: Rochdale 8 Rotherham 15
Offside: Rochdale 0 Rotherham 0
Corners: Rochdale 9 Rotherham 7

Referee: S. Tanner.

Rochdale take on Lincoln City at Spotland this Saturday (6 March), kick off 3pm.