Dale were beaten 4-2 by Oxford United at Grenoble Road on Tuesday night.

The hosts raced into a 2-0 lead with goals from Jamie Mackie and James Henry inside 15 minutes, before Ian Henderson pulled one back on half an hour.

Marcus Browne made it 3-1 shortly after the break but Callum Camps’ 30-yards strike gave Dale hope as he halved the deficit for a second time.

However, Browne’s second inside the final 15 minutes restored the hosts’ two-goal cushion and rounded off the scoring.

Keith Hill made five changes to the side from Saturday’s win over Accrington Stanley. Jim McNulty, Ollie Rathbone, Aaron Wilbraham, Sam Hart and Connor Randall – making his first appearance since suffering a fracture cheekbone in September – all started.

Dale found themselves two goals down inside a quarter of an hour thanks to a three-minute double from the hosts.

Mackie turned home an opener from close range in the 11^th minute after Rob Dickie had seen his effort from a corner kick denied by the foot of Josh Lillis on the goal line.

Then Henry fired a first-time effort beyond the Dale stopper from just inside the area after Marcus Browne had run down the left and pulled a ball back to the Oxford scorer.

In between the two goals, Wilbraham had a shout for a penalty turned down when he was tripped as he attempted to latch on to Henderson’s pass, whilst Randall fired straight into the arms of Oxford goalkeeper Simon Eastwood minutes after their second.

Browne fired an effort straight at Lillis before Josh Ruffels sent a header wide of the far post from a corner.

Dale halved the deficit through Henderson on the half hour mark. After Callum Camps’ free-kick was spilt by Eastwood, the Dale skipper took a touch wide before finishing coolly at the near post.

Lillis made comfortable saves from Henry, Browne and Curtis Nelson before the close of the first-half, with Randall making way for MJ Williams five minutes before the break.

Gavin Whyte sent a dipping effort just over Lillis’ crossbar after the break, but the hosts restored their two-goal cushion in the 52^nd minute when Browne turned home a low ball from the right on the slide.

Dale almost responded instantly but Wilbraham saw his effort well blocked from the edge of the six-yard box after Rathbone had pulled a ball back from the left. Wilbraham made way shortly after for Calvin Andrew in Dale’s second substitution of the game.

Delaney sent a header wide from Dan Adshead’s corner, whilst Henry and Whyte both sent efforts off target before Dale halved the deficit for a second time.

Camps picked up the ball in space and drove through midfield, before firing an effort from 30-yards which dipped under Eastwood and into the back of the net.

Matty Done replaced Hart with Dale’s third and final substitution, who almost drew level instantly when Henderson’s cushioned volley from Andrew’s cross was superbly clawed away by Eastwood.

Henderson flashed an effort wide of the far post from an angle moments later, but less than a minute afterwards Oxford grabbed a fourth.

A through ball into the area for Browne was superbly weighted, with the on-loan West Ham forward clipping the ball over Lillis for his second of the game and to complete the scoring.