Rochdale got their pre-season schedule off to a winning start on Tuesday night following a 2-1 win over AFC Fylde.
Trialist Nathan Eccleston and Ian Henderson were on the score-sheet for Dale.
It was a game of two halves for Rochdale, with Manager Keith Hill fielding a different eleven in each half.
Trialists Nathan Eccleston, Marcus Holness and Theo Robinson, who all travelled to Tenerife with the team, were named amongst the squad, as were second year scholars Andy Hollins, Matty Gillam and Jack Stewart, and tradesman trialist winner River Humphreys.
James Hooper had the first shot on goal in the fourth minute, but his effort was well saved by Tony Thompson in the Coasters goal.
Five minutes later and the home side were denied by the woodwork. Chris Churchman’s strike on the half volley from 25-yards was kept out by the cross bar.
In the fifteenth minute Johny Diba was forced into a save, after Bohan Dixon went on a mazy run. The young Dale ‘keeper dived to his left to palm away the curling effort.
Although the game was evenly matched, AFC Fylde showed plenty of threat going forward, however, it was Dale who took the lead with 25 minutes on the clock.
After the ball fell kindly for him, the outstretched Eccleston stabbed an effort beyond Thompson from around 12-yards.
GOAL: AFC FYLDE 0-1 ROCHDALE (Eccleston, 25 mins)
Both sides had opportunities before the half was out.
Shortly after the half hour mark Diba pulled off an important save to keep out a Steve Williams header before a late off-side flag went up.
Robinson, who got on the end of a James Hooper delivery, had a header saved, before a defence splitting pass sent Matty Hughes through on goal in the final moment before the interval. The forward’s effort was well saved by Diba.
HT: AFC FYLDE 0-1 ROCHDALE
It was all change for the second half, as the eleven players who started the game were replaced at the break.
Just six minutes after the re-start Ian Henderson doubled Dale’s advantage.
After taking the ball on his chest to take it round his marker, he nipped in on goal and lobbed the ‘keeper with a fine finish.
GOAL: AFC FYLDE 0-2 ROCHDALE (Henderson, 51 mins)
The start of the second half was played at a higher tempo than the first, and five minutes after the goal Dale were in on goal again after a swift move forward. Started by a Nathaniel Mendez-Laing flick on, it ended with Calvin Andrew firing over the bar.
A few minutes later, Lillis got down low to keep out Danny Rowe’s powerful effort.
And it was in the 66th minute that the home side halved the deficit, when Jason Gilchrist finished beyond Lillis with a strike from inside the area.
GOAL: AFC FYLDE 1-2 ROCHDALE (Gilchrist, 66 mins)
In lead up to the goal, Holness fell to the ground injured and disappointingly was unable to continue.
Holness was replaced by Humphreys, who cleared an AFC Fylde effort off the line just a few minutes after his introduction.
Further substitutions followed as second year scholars Stewart and Jack Lenehan replaced Andrew and Peter Vincenti.
The home side also made a series of substitutions and the game lost its intensity.
In the final moments of the match, Mendez-Laing sent an effort over the bar before the home side broke and sent a strike narrowly past the upright.
FT: AFC FYLDE 1-2 ROCHDALE
FIRST HALF: Diba, Rafferty, Canavan, Lund, McNulty, Allen, Camps, Hooper, Gillam, Eccleston (Trialist), Robinson (Trialist)
SECOND HALF: Lillis, Vincenti, Holness (Trialist), Hollins, Tanser, Cannon, Barry-Murphy, McDermott, Mendez-Laing, Andrew, Hendo