Rochdale played their final pre-season friendly of the summer on Saturday, beating League Two side Morecambe at the Globe Arena.

Steven Davies’ second half volley, proving to be the only goal of the game.

Rochdale dominated during the opening exchanges and had numerous opportunities to open the scoring.

Mark Kitching’s 20-yard effort was kept out by Danijel Nizic early on, and Steven Davies forced a corner on the rebound.

Kgosi Ntlhe took the resulting corner and won another, as his dangerous delivery was cleared over the bar. From the second, Ntlhe found Niall Canavan at the back post and his header was kept out by the ‘keeper.

Soon after, Callum Camps won the ball on the left flank, and after driving at goal scuffed an effort just wide of the upright from outside the area.

The home side had a rare sight on goal in the 20th minute, when Vadaine Oliver tried a poked shot from an acute angle, but it was a comfortable save for Josh Lillis in the Dale goal.

On the half hour mark, Jamie Allen forced Nizic down to his left with a strike from 25-yards, but the shot was wide of the target.

Before the half was out, Cannon struck over after a sweeping move forward by Dale.

HT: MORECAMBE 0-0 ROCHDALE

There was one Rochdale change for the start of the second half, as Calvin Andrew replaced Mark Kitching.

Andrew was involved immediately as Dale tested Nizic from kick-off, with a great move up the right. Andrew dummied his marker before playing in Davies, who had a back-heeled effort saved.

Davies struck a powerful free-kick from 25-yards into the hands of the ‘keeper soon after, as Rochdale started the half with an urgency.

And the deadlock was broken in the 53rd minute when Davies volleyed home from an Ollie Rathbone lay-off.

A double substitution followed shortly after, when two Academy graduates made way for two more - Camps and Allen were replaced by Daniel Adshead and Aaron Morley.

Davies made a surging run forward, taking the ball past the Morecambe defender as Dale hit the home side on the break, but he could only curl his effort well wide of the upright.

Lillis was then called into action twice in quick succession. Firstly, he kept out Aaron Wildig who made the most of a Dale mistake, before denying Rhys Turner at his post a moment later. As the ball was sent back into the area, Ntlhe denied the Shrimpers on the line.

Three more changes followed, as Brown, Rafferty and Gillam replaced Cannon, Keane and Davies.

Andrew sent a diving header from a Brown free-kick round the upright, and had the ball in the back of the net before the half was out. Canavan saw his header kept out by the post, but as Andrew finished, the whistle blew for a foul.

In the dying stages of the match, Morecambe should have equalised.

Garry Thompson was denied by the foot of the post, after getting through one-on-one with Lillis, while Rhys Turner, who should have done better from a similar position, hit wide of the target.

FT: MORECAMBE 0-1 ROCHDALE

Dale XI: Lillis, Cannon, Keane, McNulty, Canavan, Ntlhe, Camps, Allen, Kitching, Rathbone, Davies.