Rochdale extended their unbeaten run to four on Saturday with a 1-1 draw at home to Bristol Rovers.
Alex Newby’s 25th minute strike secured a point for Dale, after the visitors had taken an early lead at the Crown Oil Arena.
Manager Brian Barry-Murphy named an unchanged eleven for the match, with the same side that had earned a draw with Sunderland during the week lining up against the Gas.
The visitors took the lead on nine minutes through Sam Nicholson, when he drove to the edge of the area and fired low into the bottom corner.
With a quarter of an hour played Matty Lund caught a volley sweetly from 25-yards, but he was kept out by the goalkeeper.
Ollie Rathbone saw a dangerous shot blocked behind, before Dale levelled the scoring with 25 minutes on the clock. Captain Eoghan O’Connell played a ball over the top for Newby who timed his run perfectly, and after taking a superb touch, he fired beyond Anssi Jaakkola.
Ten minutes later, Aaron Morley was denied by the woodwork. His free-kick was initially punched away but only as far as him and his whipped ball back in, which had the ‘keeper beaten, crashed off the top of the crossbar.
In the minutes before half-time, Ollie Rathbone struck wide, and the two sides went in level at the break.
HT | ROCHDALE 1-1 BRISTOL ROVERS
Rochdale’s first substitution of the game came four minutes into the second half when Stephen Dooley replaced Jimmy Ryan, who appeared to have taken a knock.
The first opportunity of the period went in Dale’s favour, as Morley clipped a delightful ball from a short free-kick into the area to O’Connell. The Dale skipper fired wide from a tight angle, however.
Two minutes later, Zain Westbrooke went for goal from distance, but Bazunu got down well to his left to tip the long-range effort round the post.
There were big shouts for a Rochdale penalty in the 77th minute after Tolaji Bola was bundled over inside the box having latched onto a throw-in, but the referee waved away the claims.
Two substitutions followed in as many minutes, as Morley and Ryan McLaughlin made way for Fabio Tavares and Jimmy Keohane, respectively.
Bola headed over from a Newby cross, while Keohane curled an effort over the bar, as Dale went in search of a winner.
It finished honours even.
FT | ROCHDALE 1-1 BRISTOL ROVERS