Rochdale 1 Macclesfield 1

After a much brighter performance having returned to 4-4-2 Dale were left rueing missed chances and worrying about a growing injury list as Chris Dagnall and loanee Kelvin Lomax both picked up knee injuries with Dagnalls looking quite serious as he limped away from the game on crutches.

Keith Hill's side started much the better and could and perhaps should have been 2 up inside the opening minutes. After unselfish  work by Dagnall Glenn Murray  was left with time and space (perhaps too much ) but was thwarted by the onrushing Tommy Lee in the Macclesfield goal. Then Murrays persistence saw him get to a bouncing ball before Lee only for defender Luke Dimech to back track and hook the goalbound header out from under his own cross bar.

Dale did take the lead on 16 minutes when after an assault on Dagnall the free kick was taken quickly by David Perkins and Adam Rundle's wicked low cross was bundled into his own goal by the retreating Jimmy McNulty.
                                                  

Not for the first team this season though Dale allowed their visitors back into the match and from an innocuous cross into the box Guy Branston clearly pushed Martin Gritton and referee Haines, who in truth had a very poor game had little alternative but to point to the spot. James Spencer guessed the right way but had no chance though as Kevin McIntyre simply smashed the spot kick into the roof of the net. That and a half chance for Gritton from a deflected Francis Green effort was the only time that the visitors threatened in what was a very one sided game.                            

 Unfortunately for Dale and Dagnall inparticular the lost their leading scorer when he twisted his knee quite seriously having been battered again by McNulty. Adam Le Fondre replaced Dagnall and was a threat throughout but the growing injury list is becoming a real headache for Keith Hill and his staff.

The only other action of the half saw Glenn Murray and the WMG stand claiming a goal when his towering far post header appeared to cross the line before being scooped up by Lee but true to their afternoon neither of the officials realised or saw it.
                                
                       

As to the second half it was more one way traffic with Dale knocking on a creaking door that would just not open, the best chance falling to Adam Rundle but he fired wide from 10 yards after terrific work by LeFondre. Other than that Tom Kennedy who was excellent throughout fired just over after a slalommimg run that saw him beat 3 defenders.
                             

It was better and it is another game unbeaten but the injury list is now becoming a real worry