Rochdale 1 Shrewsbury Town 0 - Report and pictures

Smith lashed in from six yards with just two minutes of normal time remaining shortly after home goalkeeper Robert Sanchez had been named home man of the match for his string of saves.

Sam Ricketts’ men were comfortably on top throughout and would have been frustrated to take just a point but, having committed players forward late on, were punished from a rebound after Ian Henderson had struck the crossbar from distance.

The sucker-punch means Shrewsbury are now 13 games without a win at Rochdale as the hoodoo lives on, their last success at the Dale’s home back in 2001.

But more pressingly for Ricketts’ side it is now seven League One matches without victory. The late defeat against the hosts, who are below them in the table, kept Town 16th but the ever-increasing gap to the top six grew to 13 points.

Jason Cummings, in his first start for more than two months, spurned the best chance of a dominant first half before Callum Lang and Josh Laurent were denied after the break.

A plus-point for the visitors was the performance of debutant Conor McAleny, who caught the eye with an extremely impressive first Town appearance.

An FA Cup fourth round trip to Anfield looms on what promises to be a magical occasion for the club but the league form will remain a concern as wins continue to get away from Ricketts’ side.

The late sucker-punch left those of a Shrews persuasion ultimately frustrated at the end of what was an improved performance but another occasion where points slipped through their fingers.

With the dust barely settled from a disappointing deadline day, it was straight back into the hunt for much-needed league points for Ricketts and his men.

Town headed north west for a trip to bogey ground Spotland, where they were winless since the Luke Rodgers-inspired demolition in 2001.

Plenty of Shrewsbury teams since have tried and failed to register that elusive victory at Rochdale and Ricketts knew a first victory in seven league games would breathe momentum into his side’s League One season.

Five players joined Shrewsbury last month, defender Kayne Ramsay and goalkeeper Harry Burgoyne checking in on deadline day.

Neither of those were involved in the matchday 18, but there was a debut for McAleny, Town’s new creative attacking midfielder, signed on loan from Fleetwood this week.

McAleny was brought in as a much-needed creative spark by Ricketts and he lined up on the left of a front three including Cummings and Lang.

It was a first start for Liverpool FA Cup hero Cummings since late November.

Ricketts, who made five changes for the disappointing Wednesday trip to Gillingham, shuffled his pack again with six alteration to the side this time.

McAleny, Cummings, Scott Golbourne, Dave Edwards, Ro-Shaun Williams and Donald Love were in for Shaun Whalley, Daniel Udoh, Sam Hart, Brad Walker, Aaron Pierre and Donald Love.

Ollie Norburn was still absent for Shrews from the knock he picked up early on against Liverpool last Sunday.

Brian Barry-Murphy’s hosts started the day two places and five points below Shrews in 18th - albeit having played twice more.

They were without teenager sensation Luke Matheson. The wonderkid right-back was signed by Wolves for a reported £1million late on deadline day and loaned back to Spotland, without being registered in time to feature against Salop.

The Dale, who enjoyed a Cup run themselves to a third round replay at Newcastle, had lost 10 of their previous 14 league outings, winning just two and just seven points clear of the drop zone having played more games than fellow strugglers.

Blustery Greater Manchester conditions on a sandy surface that had seen better days had the making of a possibly difficult afternoon.

But it became immediately obvious that Shrewsbury were the more confident and ambitious side.

Ricketts’ men were knocking it about well and switching play with purpose in the early stages. Skipper Edwards knocked a couple of accurate long balls across the park while the energetic Lang was his typical busy self on the right flank.

Town’s energy in attack forced a mistake from the uncomfortable Rochdale backline as a poor crossfield ball was pounced upon by McAleny, who rode the challenge of Eoghan O’Connell in the box and was about to pull the trigger but was denied by the defender’s fine recovery challenge.

That launched what went on to be impressive early signs in Town colours for the former Everton youngster.

McAleny was unafraid to let fly, seeing a low strike blocked from distance and one effort inside the box from Edwards’ pass fly over all inside 12 minutes.

The travelling fans enjoyed the early pressure, with early ‘oles’ greeting completed passes.

Dale talisman Ian Henderson flicked a header well wide against the run of play but it was almost all Shrews as it took a mere half hour for the locals to grow restless.

The opening quarter of the afternoon belonged to McAleny. The debutant got better with every involvement as he received the ball on the half-turn, dropped a shoulder to jink past his marker and showed real drive and dynamism with the ball.

Shrews were a little guilty of overhitting deliveries from the flanks, particularly through wing-backs Golbourne and Love. Edwards was a driving force for Town in midfield while Josh Laurent was positive in his play, albeit sent a couple of passes astray.

The visitors needed to take advantage of their dominance and a big chance arrived on half hour.

The hosts failed to play the ball out through midfield as Edwards stormed in to win it back and away went midfield partner Laurent, who charged towards the box on a three-on-one break.

He elected for Cummings with a smart pass to the left side of the penalty area but Spanish goalkeeper Sanchez stood up to make a crucial point-blank save.

Town remained on top, Lang and McAleny causing all kinds of problems and Sanchez was forced into a further save to deny Love’s stabbed toe-poke strike from inside the box.

Conditions worsened as the first period went on, rain poured in the driving wind on a bitterly cold afternoon. Max O’Leary had been nothing more than a spectator and only tested by two long-range Aaron Morley strikes.

The visitors came out for the second period knowing they had not done a lot wrong but did not want to rue the chance of three points where they were well on top.

Ricketts’ men began the second period as they ended the first as Lang failed to gamble to connect to an inviting low McAleny cross, while Love saw a strike cleared behind.

Shrewsbury had their hosts penned in in the early stages of the second half and it began to look like the busy home backline would crack. Town were swarming their hosts who, at times, struggled to clear their lines.

Ricketts was prowling his technical area barking instructions at his players to switch the play into wide areas with space developing.

Doing just that, Love picked out a clever ball to find Laurent’s run but Town’s midfield was unable to get proper purchases on his strike from close-range before Cummings lashed the rebound wide.

With Shrewsbury committed in advanced areas they were leaving gaps for Rochdale, who almost profited from a corner as Henderson nodded over from Aaron Wilbraham’s flick.

But Salop continued to knock on the door and Lang’s sharp snapshot from an uncleared corner drew a smart save from Sanchez down in his bottom-right corner.

Laurent hammered over from distance as Lang’s cross-shot from the right byline sent Sanchez sprawling as it increasingly looked like not being Salop’s day.

Ricketts sent Whalley on for Lang with 20 minutes remaining and Udoh followed, for Cummings, five minutes later with Shrews trying to give the Dale more to ponder.

Laurent was busy in the final quarter of the contest and Shrews continued to get into encouraging positions but efforts on goal had dried up.

As an open game emerged late on Shrews missed a glorious chance on the break to release McAleny through on goal but Love’s pass was poor after a Whalley one-two.

Ricketts and Town were left frustrated time and time again as final passes or shots would not fall their way as a clinical touch evaded them.

Rochdale spent more time in the final 20 minutes inside the Shrewsbury third but it wasn’t until late they struck, moments after Sanchez had been announced as Dale’s star man.

Skipper Henderson curled off the woodwork from 25 yards, Williams made a fine block from the follow-up but sub Smith, on loan from Sheffield United, pounced to thrash low into the net.

Town players dropped to their knees on what ended a desperately frustrated afternoon.

Teams

Rochdale (4-4-2):

Sanchez; Keohane, O’Connell, McShane, Norrington Davies; Dooley (Done, 55), Ryan, Morley (McLaughlin, 76), Rathbone; Wilbraham (Smith, 67), Henderson ©.

Subs not used: Lynch (gk), McNulty, Williams, Tavares.

Shrewsbury Town (3-4-3):

O’Leary; Williams, Ebanks-Landell, Beckles; Love, Edwards ©, Laurent, Golbourne; McAleny (Goss, 82), Cummings (Udoh, 76), Lang (Whalley, 71).

Subs not used: Murphy (gk), Pierre, Hart, Walker.

Referee: Carl Boyeson

Attendance: 2,829 (391 Shrewsbury fans)