The Youth Team returned to winning ways on Tuesday, beating Walsall 4-2.
The Saddlers had brought an end to Dale’s four game unbeaten run at the weekend, but Dale responded with a strong performance midweek when the two sides met for the second time in three days.
Rochdale opened up a commanding 4-0 leader before the visitors to Radcliffe Borough halved the deficit late in the game.
With nine minutes on the clock, Dale took the lead from a corner. Joe Piggott won the initial header and Neil Kuemo scrambled the ball over the line from close range.
Five minute later, Jack Lenehan doubled the Youth Team’s advantage, heading into the top corner of the net from Elliott Murray’s ball into the area.
Joe Piggot extended Dale’s lead further in the 20th minute. Lenehan picked out Kuemo on the left with a long diagonal ball forward, and after getting to the byline, Kuemo delivered low into the area for Piggott to smash the ball into the roof of the net.
After the break, Lewis Bradley, who is an under-16, added a fourth on the hour mark, heading home from a ball in from the right.
Two minutes later, Walsall pulled one back. A delivery was sent into a packed six-yard box and turned over the line.
And 10 minutes from time, the Saddlers halved deficit with a strike from the edge of the area.