Chris Dagnall's sweetly struck 73rd minute equaliser, his first goal in the league since a hat trick against Chester City in October, gave Dale a hard earned point after the expected Grant Holt goal had kept his new employers' increasingly faint Play off hopes alive.
Given the respective league positions of the two teams this was probably a "must win" game for the faltering Shrews whilst for Dale it was a case of "must not lose" and the home side certainly started as if their lives depended on victory, hitting Dale hard and fast at every opportunity. Then having gone in front they suprisingly took something of a breather, and sat back on the lead which, as everyone knows, is a dangerous thing to do against Keith Hill's side.
Though the home side started the better it was their keeper Luke Daniels who was called into action first making a decent save from an Adam le Fondre effort on 6 mins.
On 18 minutes former Dale hero Holt nearly scored an incredible goal. After Daniels had caught a cross he rolled the ball to Holt who raced up to the half way line and then produced an impudent 50 yard lob that went narrowly wide and had Frank Fielding backpedalling into his up right as he attempted to claw the ball away.
On 22 minutes after the Dale defence had failed to deal with an inswinging corner home full back Darren Moss missed what could only bedescribed as a sitter as he toe poked wide with the goal at his mercy. Two minutes later from another Davies delivery a galncing header was hacked from the Dale line. 13 minutes later from yet another dead ball delivery the home side missed another great chance as centre back Kelvin Langmead also failed to find the target with the goal at his mercy
As half time approached Dale came to life courtesy of a great run into the box and along the by line by Will Buckley but his shot from the tightest of angles was saved with his feet by Daniels
Hopes that Dale might have weathered the storm were ended not long after the re start when Holt collected a Neil Ashton cross, rolled Rory McArdle on the edge of the 6 yard box before toe poking past Fielding for his 27th goal of the season.
For whatever reason after that Shrewsbury stopped what they had been doing so effectively and Dale, with Lee Thorpe introduced to the front line to add some steel fought their way back.
On the hour Dagnall cut in from the left and curled an effort wide and then after "an assualt" by Graham Coughlan on Thorpe thew subsequent free kick from Tom Kennedy curled just wide.
The equaliser came when Coughlan who probably should have seen red for his elbow on Thorpe, could only clear an Adam Rundle cross as far as Dagnall on the edge of the box and he returned it first time, with interest, into the roof of the net.
By now if there would only be a winner it would be Dale but they were denied a remarkable turnaround when Thorpe rose highest to meet a Clark Keltie free kick in the 86th minute but saw his header rebound off the crossbar.
A very good point and a return of 4 points in 3 days from the Easter fixtures sets us up very nicely for our televised date with Darlington next weekend.
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Teams
Shrewsbury: Daniels, Darren Moss, Coughlan, Langmead, Ashton, Humphrey (Ashikodi 83), Murray (Dunfield 83), Leslie, Chadwick (Hibbert 69), Davies, Holt.
Subs Not Used: Worrall, Cansdell-Sherriff.
Rochdale: Fielding, Ramsden, Stanton, McArdle, Kennedy, Thompson (Thorpe 46), Keltie, Toner, Buckley (Rundle 53), Dagnall, Le Fondre.
Subs Not Used: Madine, Newey, Holness.
Ref: Roger East (Wiltshire).
