Dale were held to a 0-0 draw at home to York City on Saturday afternoon.
Jimmy McNulty made one change from Dale’s last league outing away at Bromley, as Tyrese Sinclair came in for the injured Devante Rodney. Scholars Luke Mann and Isaac Burgess, who made their professional debuts on Tuesday night, were also in the matchday squad. Burgess had played 45 minutes in the Youth Team’s 2-1 win against Burton Albion earlier in the day.
Louie Moulden was called into action in the opening 20 seconds, tipping over Olly Dyson’s goal bound effort.
Dale controlled the majority of the possession but couldn’t quite find the final ball on a number of occasions early on, before Adam Clayton suffered what appeared to be a knee injury and had to be replaced.
Kwaku Oduroh came on at right-back, with Jimmy Keohane switching sides to left-back and Cameron John moving into midfield.
Ryan East took control of a ball inside the area and was denied from getting a shot away in the area by a superb challenge, before Moulden again denied Dyson, this time diving low to his left to turn a shot round the post.
McNulty’s men continued to have the better of it after the break, controlling the game, with Sinclair going close on numerous occasions.
Ian Henderson almost sent a looping header home after Ryan East clipped a ball across, who also had a shot from 20-yards deflected narrowly wide.
Henderson then had the ball in the back of the net but was flagged offside, before Sinclair’s low effort brought a fine save out of George Sykes-Kenworthy.
He then had a free-kick held, before the visitors were denied in the final moments when Moulden saved Lennell John-Lewis’ header.
Dale XI | Moulden, Keohane, Ebanks-Landell ©, Nevett, John, Clayton, Gilmour, Sinclair, Uchegbulam, East, Henderson.
Unused subs | Taylor, Oduroh, Afuye, Mann, Burgess.