Shrewsbury Town 1 - 0 Rochdale

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A lacklustre performance from Rochdale saw them go down to a narrow defeat in a game of very few chances. Stefan Payne capitalised on a defensive mistake to race away before slotting past Conrad Logan in what was the only shot on target in the whole game from either side.

Defeat leaves Rochdale six points adrift of the playoff places with just four games remaining.

After the midweek win over Port Vale, Rochdale were unchanged for the trip to relegation threatened Shrewsbury Town on a warm Spring day.

There wasn’t too much goal mouth action and the only goal came after a mistake in the Dale defence. Calvin Andrew’s attempt to pass back to central defender Jim McNulty saw Payne nip in before racing at goal and slotting under the onrushing Logan for his first goal for the club.

Dale thought they had equalised within 60 seconds when Nathaniel Mendez-Laing’s shot was spilled by Jayson Leutwiler and Henderson lifted the loose ball into the net but an assistant’s flag cut short the celebrations.

The second half continued in the same vein as the first, with Shrewsbury looking the more dangerous although all their attempts were shots from distance that flew off target.

Calvin Andrew had the ball in the net in stoppage time; again an offside flag wiping out the goal.

It was a frustrating afternoon for Dale manager Keith Hill who was none too happy with his players for letting slip a glorious chance to keep pressure on those teams above.

With two derby games against Bury and Oldham in the last four games, bragging rights is probably about all Dale now have to play for.

Shrewsbury: Leutwiler, Grimmer, Sadler (c), Nsiala, Brown, Whalley (Ladapo 78), Morris (Yates 90), Deegan, Rodman, Payne (Humphreys 66), Dodds.
Subs: (not used) Halstead, Smith, Leitch-Smith, El-Abd.

Rochdale: Logan, Rafferty, McGahey, McNulty, Andrew, Lund (Keane 59), Camps, Rathbone (Davies 67), Mendez-Laing, McDermott (Noble-Lazarus 51), Henderson (c).
Subs: (not used) Wilson, Vincenti, Allen, Kitching.

Referee: Mr K Johnson
Assistants: Mr P Gibbons and Mr I Siddall
Fourth Official: Mr P Graham

Attendance: 5,002 (356 from Rochdale)