Devante Rodney says Dale had to dig deep to get something out of Easter Monday’s game against Hartlepool United.
After Kairo Mitchell was shown a straight red card five minutes before half-time, Dale had to play the remainder of the game a man light.
Rodney’s 96th minute equaliser earned a fully deserved point and the striker said the team were buzzing to take that.
“It was a great feeling,” said Rodney, who scored his fourth goal in five games.
“Being a man down early on was disappointing. We’ve looked back at it and we don’t think it’s a sending-off, so we had to dig deep.
“I knew I had to be patient to get a chance and knew when I did, that I had to take it.
“The game plan was just to be patient. I was the frontman up top so when there was a chance to press, I pressed, trying to lock it one way.
“I thought we did well and had some very promising moments to say we were a man down. On another day we could have nicked it. Cian [Hayes] had a great chance, and we were looking good on the counterattack.
“The gaffer told me at half-time to stay on the last line and make sure I’m there for anything over the top. When Easty [Ryan East] is front-facing I know where the ball is going to go and thankfully, I got there.
“When it’s late like that it can almost feel like a win, so we’re buzzing. We’ve got a big game now on Saturday to look forward to.”
