Dale made it three games unbeaten under Jim McNulty with a 1-1 draw at Mansfield Town.

Hiram Boateng put the hosts ahead inside six minutes, before Owen Dodgson’s first professional goal drew Dale level before the break.

Some fine goalkeeping from Richard O’Donnell kept the Stags at bay after the break, whilst Dale created a number of chances of their own, which included a late rattle of the crossbar from D’Mani Mellor, as the spoils were shared.

Interim Manager McNulty named an unchanged starting eleven for the third game in succession, whilst first-year scholar Darren Ehimamiegho replaced Cameron John on the bench.

The hosts began strongly and broke the deadlock inside six minutes, when Boateng finished clinically after receiving a backheel layoff from Lucas Akins inside the area.

O’Donnell had to make a save with his fists from James Gale’s swirling effort, before Akins fired an effort from the edge of the area harmlessly wide.

Dale steadily began to gain more possession as the half wore on, with Danny Lloyd shooting just wide of the far post from 20-yards after a nice move.

The equaliser came two minutes before the break, when Dodgson’s throw-in was laid back off to him by Odoh, and he powered into the area, firing cleanly into the far bottom corner.

The sides headed into the break level, but only thanks to O’Donnell’s fine save from Stephen Quinn’s close-range effort. The goalkeeper shifted across his line quickly to stop the effort with his legs.

He was called into action ten minutes after the restart too, making a superb one-handed save low to his right, turning Davis Keillor-Dunn’s effort round the post.

Kieran Wallace was the next Stags man to be denied by O’Donnell, when his fierce effort was parried over.

Gale sent an shot wide and O’Donnell was called into action again midway through the half. This time, he made a big double save to deny Boateng and then Quinn.

As the game entered the final 20 minutes, Dale began to create chances of their own, with Mellor heavily involved.

He beat his marker on the left and drove into the area, seeing a shot from a tight angle saved by Christy Pym.

His pace allowed Dale to get behind when he was found by Lloyd, before laying off to Henderson, who had a shot superbly blocked by a Mansfield defender.

O’Donnell clawed the ball of the line when a corner had been turned goalwards by a Mansfield forward, before Alfie Kilgour headed a cross wide.

Dale came closest to grabbing a winner, when Mellor broke through behind the defence and crashed an effort off the face of the crossbar.

Mellor’s pace caused problems again moments later, when he broke into the area and laid it off for Lloyd, who skewed his shot wide.

There were some important defensive headers from the Dale backline as the hosts threw balls into the area, and Boateng’s final effort of the game flew well off target.

Dale XI | O’Donnell, Keohane, Taylor, Ebanks-Landell, Dodgson, Brierley, Kelly, Lloyd, Mellor, Odoh, Henderson.

Subs | Eastwood, Seriki, Ball, Graham, Quigley, Mullarkey, Ehimamiegho.