Dale were beaten at home 1-0 by Millwall, with a goal ten minutes into the second half from Lee Gregory.
The first half was dominated by Dale who were denied a penalty when Ian Henderson was brought down late on in the half.
The Millwall goal came in contentious circumstances, when goalscorer Gregory appeared to be in an offside position as he turned the ball home for the winner.
Dale continued to probe but couldn’t carve out an equaliser, as the visitors held on for a narrow victory.
Keith Hill made four changes to the side that was beaten at Crewe last week. Ashley Eastham, Calvin Andrew, Andy Cannon and Joe Bunney started, with Matthew Lund, Peter Vincenti and David Syers dropping to the bench.
Dale started brightly and had the first chance of the game after a splendid team move. Bunney held off a challenge on right and found Jamie Allen in the middle, whose first time pass fed Callum Camps in the area. His effort was saved by Jordan Archer before being cleared off the line.
There was a five minute spell of torrential rain over Spotland before the sun broke through the clouds, and it was Dale who looked the more threatening in the opening 20 minutes.
Bunney was fed by a throw-in after finding space and turned his man well, but dragged his shot from distance wide.
At the other end Lillis had to make a save from a tight angle as Millwall captain Steve Morison broke down the right of the area, before Allen was able to clear.
Bunney was again involved for Dale just after the half hour mark, when his cross was headed just wide by Andrew. However, Andrew fell awkwardly and had to be substituted. Vincenti replaced him as the lone striker.
As half-time approached Dale had a huge shout for a penalty turned down by referee Graham Salisbury. Henderson chased a through ball on the right of the area and was clipped by Joseph Martin as the Dale skipper beat him to the ball.
There was a succession of Millwall corners in stoppage time which Dale did well to defend, and the last action of the half was a Dale counter attack. Cannon found Henderson on the right of the area, but his shot was straight at Archer before being cleared.
Despite a dominant first half, Dale found themselves a goal behind ten minutes into the second period. There was a scramble in the area and mishit shots from Morison and Jed Wallace, before the ball eventually fell for Gregory who tapped the ball home. There were appeals for offside from the Dale defence as the Millwall striker was ahead of Lillis who had come off his line to close the ball down.
It was another tough decision for Dale to take in a game they did not deserve to be losing. Bunney tried his best to create an instant reply, and nearly got a slice of luck when Archer almost spilled his cross into his own net.
Lillis was forced into action at the other end, when Gregory’s excellent first touch and shot needed to be saved.
Keith Hill made a double substitution to try and find an equaliser. Lewis Alessandra and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing came on for Cannon and Bunney.
Mendez-Laing looked lively when he came on and fired an effort just past the far post after a short corner, with Oliver Lancashire sliding in just too late to bundle home. Fellow substitute Alessandra was also lively as he came on to lead the line.
The final ten minutes were frustrating for Dale, as they continued in search of a deserved goal. They were, however, unable to find a way past the resolute Millwall side and the visitors and returned to the capital with all three points.