Murray maintains Dale’s away run at Macc

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Macclesfield Town 2 (Reid 20, Evans 30)
Rochdale 2 (Rundle 63, Murray 90)

Glenn Murray’s injury time equaliser gave Rochdale a point from their visit to Macclesfield to extend an unbeaten away run that stretches back to the first game of the season. Rochdale made hard work of avoiding what would have been only a third away defeat in the whole of 2007 when poor defending saw them go into the break two goals down.

The home side were far sharper than their nervous looking opponents in the first half and they took the lead when Levi Reid bundled home Martin Gritton’s looping flick-on. Reid stole in behind marker Adam Rundle who looked to be in a good position to clear before the midfielder crept in to open the scoring.

In appalling conditions, with the wind swirling and the rain driving, one had to feel sorry for the Rochdale fans in the uncovered terrace behind the goal, especially when Macclesfield doubled their lead at the opposite end on the half hour mark. It came thanks to awful defending as a scuffed goal kick from home goalkeeper Jonathon Brain found its way straight through the Dale back line. Gritton collected and provided the perfect low cross for Gareth Evans to fire home from twelve yards.

“To be honest we knew Macclesfield would be quick on the counter attack,” said Rochdale manager Keith Hill. “In the first half the elements were a problem for us but Macclesfield were the better side. We deserved to be two goals down because of the mistakes we made.”

Rochdale improved considerably after the break and grabbed themselves a lifeline when Adam Rundle latched onto a cross-field ball from influential substitute John Doolan and cut inside two defenders. His shot took a wicked deflection off Macclesfield defender Luke Dimech, wrong-footing Brain and going in at the near post.

The goal was harsh on Dimech who had earlier diverted Rory McArdle’s goal bound header onto the crossbar from off the line. Rochdale laid siege to the Macclesfield goal from then on, with Doolan spreading the ball from wing to wing, allowing for flowing football completely at odds with Dale’s first half display.

The game opened up considerably in the second half with Rochdale forced to take risks and leave holes at the back. However, Macclesfield failed to recreate some of the flowing moves that had seen them dictate the opening period. Rochdale’s risk-taking enabled them to create much more than a Lee McEvilly dipping volley over the bar, which was the sum total of their first half opportunities. Macclesfield began to show signs of how they had gone six games without a win, appearing nervous and defending too deep.

Rochdale’s equaliser should have arrived much sooner than it did. Substitute Adam Le Fondre squandered a hat-trick of gilt-edged chances. First he volleyed wide when completely unmarked ten yards from goal and then failed to convert Joe Thompson’s superbly disguised inside pass from even closer in, dragging his shot horribly wide. The last of the striker’s chances drew a superb save from Brain, tipping a powerful drive over the crossbar.

“We could and should have scored more goals,” said Hill. “I thought that we deserved an equaliser but I did not think it was going to come.”

Nick Blackman missed a good chance at the other end to extend Macclesfield’s lead and put the game beyond Rochdale. He raced clear of a flat attempted offside trap but Dale were able to get a couple of men back in order to make it difficult for Blackman. The substitute was still able to fire a shot across goal from a tight angle but Russell was equal to it with a fine save.

Rochdale continued to commit men forward right to the death and they packed the box when Adam Rundle won a last minute corner. Thompson went across to take and the ball somehow found its way beyond goalkeeper and defenders to the back post where Murray nodded gleefully home. The goal would certainly have brought a little warmth to the hoards of Rochdale fans, who were by now completely sodden and cold. They could have been forgiven for leaving the terrace at half time but they kept the faith and Murray’s goal was the reward.

Keith Hill said: “It is a very important point and it feels like a victory to come from two goals down. The three substitutes all had a tremendous impact on the way we got back into the game and we will need them again on Tuesday because we are running out of players again with Lee McEvilly, Marcus Holness and Kallum Higginbotham all picking up knocks today.”

Attendance: 2,742.

Macclesfield: Brain, Regan, Dimech (Doughty 71), Hessey, McIntyre, Reid (Wiles 79), Murray, Dunfield, Thomas, Gritton (Blackman 35), Evans.
Subs not used: Lee, Tolley.

Rochdale: Russell, Ramsden, McArdle, Stanton, Holness, Higginbotham (Thompson 61), Jones, Crooks (Doolan 57), Rundle, Murray, McEvilly (Le Fondre 49).

Booked: Higginbotham.

Attempts (on target): Macclesfield 8 (3) Rochdale 13 (7)
Freekicks: Macclesfield 20 Rochdale 17
Offside: Macclesfield 7 Rochdale 4
Corners: Macclesfield 1 Rochdale 5

Referee: S Cook.