Rochdale supporters registered their fifth
consecutive win with a narrow victory over their
nearest rivals on Saturday. The home side had moved
to the top of the 60 strong IFA supporers league
after their victory against Shrewsbury the week
before. They would probably have chosen other
opponents in their next game had they been given the
chance. Bury have regularly finished in the top five
teams in the IFA and were the only visiting team to
emerge victorious from Heywood sports complex last
season.
The same starting XI took the
field but an early injury to Steve Crossley led to
the introduction of Dave Heeley and a reshuffle in
the home Defence. After a period of pressure Dale
took the lead through Luke Lloyd, who found the
bottom corner with a clinical finish. The lead didnt
last for long as the visitors equalised through a
hotly-disputed free kick. There was still enough
sand left in the first half glass for Woodall to put
a shot and then a header wide of the Mark.
The
second half became something of a battle, which was
not helped by the referee, who seemed to
be determined to put his new notebook and pencil to
good use. Liam Ratcliffe was the pick of Dales
attacking options and it was he who scored the
winner midway through the half. After good work from
Ryan Higginbotham, he sprinted away before shooting
low past the visiting keeper. A nervous last few
moments were not helped by the sending off of Dales
keeper for two yellow cards.
