Dale were knocked out of the FA Youth Cup after a 2-1 defeat at home to Harrogate Town.
Oscar Kelly had put Dale ahead after 15 minutes, but a Jack Bray brace turned the game on its head and sent the visitors through to the second round.
Dale came flying out of the traps and almost took the lead inside 60 seconds, when Ehimamiegho had a shot from close range blocked on the line following Kelly’s cut back from the byline.
Kelly then had a chance to score himself, sending Mateus Mane’s drilled cross over the bar with the ball at a difficult height before Kelly flashed a ball across the face of goal that somehow wasn’t turned home by a Harrogate defender.
Mane hit a shot from distance off target, whilst at the other end, Robbie Wilson’s shot was well blocked by Braden Edghill inside the box.
Dale took the lead in the 15th minute. A free-kick into the area was nodded down by Isaac Burgess, with a Harrogate defender smashing the ball against Kelly, which ricocheted into the back of the net.
However, Dale were ahead for just eight minutes. After Lennon MacLorg had turned Oliver Nicholson’s free-kick wide for a corner, the resulting delivery led to a trip on a Harrogate man.
Bray stepped up and sent his penalty straight down the middle to equalise.
Mann and Kelly both had shots blocked for Dale, before MacLorg was called into action twice, turning efforts wide from Wilson and Nicholson.
However, the Dale stopper was beaten just three minutes after the interval, when Bray was found by a through ball and converted from a tight angle.
MacLorg held on to efforts from Josh Brodella and Wilson, whilst Dale’s Kelly saw a left-foot shot deflected inches wide.
Dale kept pushing, with Corey Edwards seeing a shot blocked by a number of defenders on the line and Kelly thrashing the follow up narrowly over.
However, the task made more difficult when Ehimamiegho was shown a straight red card for an incident off the ball.
Dale fought valiantly with a man less but couldn’t find a route to goal despite late pressure, as their FA Youth Cup campaign came to an end.
Dale XI | MacLorg, Dunlop ©, Cooper, Ayub, Edghill, Burgess, Kelly, Edwards, Mann (87’ Bispo Martinez), Mane (55’ Bailey), Ehimamiegho.
Unused subs | Nicholson, McIlroy, Horne, Green, Clift.
