Rochdale 3- 3 Walsall

Rochdale were cruelly denied maximum points after Andy Butler’s looping header snatched a point for Walsall at Spotland with virtually the last touch of the game. Coleman’s men came from 2-0 down to lead 3-2 after Jean Louis Akpa-Akpro’s stoppage time looked to have taken the points but straight from the re-start, The Saddlers skipper headed home. The result leaves Dale 8 points adrift of safety with just 6 games remaining of the season.

Dale dominated the statistics from start to finish as Coleman’s men looked to perform the great escape.

In the opening minutes, Jason Kennedy’s short corner routine caught the Walsall defence napping but Gary Jones’ goal bound shot was blocked on the line by Butler.

The visitors were being held at arm’s length and were restricted to shots from distance which all missed the target with the exception of Emmanual Ledesma’s 25th minute strike. The Argentine curled one from 25 yards yard around Dave Lucas to open the scoring against the run of play.

It was a blow to Dale who had shown more desire in the opening 25 minutes than they showed in the whole 90 minutes of last week’s game at Brentford.

Things got worse for Dale 7 minutes before the break. A right wing free-kick was headed over Lucas and off the underside of the crossbar by Joe Widdowson to double Walsall’s lead.

The game looked up for Rochdale in what had been described as a must win game but the fight back began 21 minutes into the second period.

Dale’s 16th corner of the game was bundled home by Akpa-Akpro to half the deficit and give renewed optimism to the home support.

Coleman’s men were looking very threatening as they went in search of the equaliser.

Symes should have levelled the score after Akpa-Akpro raced onto a Symes flick but when the Frenchman pulled the ball back; Symes screwed his shot across the virtually unguarded goal.

Symes was given a chance to redeem himself with 9 minutes remaining after Jason Kennedy was felled in the area by Matt Sadler. Symes stepped up to send Grof the wrong way from the spot for 2-2.

Dale sensed victory was theirs for the taking and set about Grof’s goal. Temitope Obadeyi’s quick break down the left gave Tutte the space but his turn and shot was brilliantly pushed away by the Hungarian keeper.

Coleman’s men laid siege to the Walsall goal and their pressure paid when in the 4th minute of added time, Akpa-Akpro slammed the ball home from close range. Adams’ corner wasn’t cleared and Akpa-Akpro was hand to send the ball into the roof of the net to finish a remarkable turnaround.

With everybody of a Dale persuasion dreaming of the great escape, Walsall went straight from the kick off and levelled to break the hearts of the home team.

A lofted ball towards the Dale area was headed home from 18 yards by Butler whose looping header beat Lucas.

The Dale players dropped to the floor as they knew that with that one goal had gone their last chance of survival and relegation back to League 2 is almost certain.

A deflated John Coleman spoke afterwards: “In footballing terms that’s the worst moment of my career. We didn’t look out of the game at 2-0 we had the lion’s share of the ball. We were dis-organised from the kick-off (after Rochdale’s 3rd goal). We dropped too deep, we didn’t press the ball. It’s an aimless ball into the box, their centre half has run up. He shouldn’t beat Kevin Long in the air and he shouldn’t beat our keeper from the edge of the box with a header but when your luck is the way ours is at the minute things like that go against you. Just as we felt we had turned the corner it now feels like we have been hit in the chest with a sledgehammer. You have take your hat off to our players, they started brightly but deserved to get back into the game. We have given ourselves a huge mountain to climb. We can’t give up. Our players have shown they have the spirit and have the quality. I’m going to have to pick myself up before I can pick the players up. It’s difficult as physiologically those 30 seconds; we were probably better drawing the game 2-2.”


Att:2516

Rochdale: Lucas, Byrne (Obadeyi 63), Long, Amankwaah, Widdowson, Jones ©, Kennedy, Grimes (Adams 56), Akpa-Akpro, Tutte, Symes

Subs (not used): M Edwards, Holness, McConville

Walsall: Grof, Westlake (Patterson 84), Sadler, Butler ©, Smith, Hurst, Nicholls, Bowerman (Grigg 74), Cuvelier, Mantom, Ledesma (Taundry 79)

Subs (not used): Walker. Lancashire

Referee: Mr M Haywood
Ass Referee: Mr D Storrie
Mr A Tankard
4th Official: Mr D Hanley