Pirates get Done as Dale cling on

ROCHDALE boss Keith Hill commended a battling performance from his side as they weathered an actual storm, as well as one from their opponents, to edge past Bristol Rovers.

In a match played in torrential rain and swirling winds, Matthew Done’s early strike proved decisive for Dale, tapping into the net from on the goalline to give Hill’s men all three points.

Hill said: “We showed grit and determination to get the result and I thought we started the game superbly.

“I’m just happy with the results part of the performance, we had a little bit of luck in the second half, but I think it was important from a confidence point of view that we battled and got that win.

“It is important that we make less mini-mistakes and become more confident, and I think a result like that could help us, so I hope we have turned a corner in our season.”

Following a swift breakaway, Dale led after eight minutes when Ian Henderson played Bradden Inman through on the left.

He dinked his effort over keeper Adam Smith and it was turned in on the line by the industrious Done.

In response, Rovers went close through chances from Rory Gaffney and Ollie Clarke, but neither tested shot-stopper Josh Lillis, on a miserable afternoon in Greater Manchester.

The second half commenced in a downpour, and Smith had to be alert to thwart Done’s daisy-cutter, as the hosts pushed for a second.

In the closing 20 minutes, Darrell Clarke’s Pirates wasted a giltedged chance to take a share of the spoils after substitute Tom Nichols pounced when Lillis fumbled a cross, only for a combination of Joe Bunney and Joseph Rafferty to clear off the line.

Despite a flurry of late pressure from the visitors, Dale remained resilient and secured a hard-earned victory.

After a third straight loss, Rovers manager Clarke said: “We are bitterly disappointed. The effort and endeavour is there, we were looking for that bit of quality to try and get us back into the game.

“I thought we huffed and puffed to try and get back into the game, and it is all about staying strong as a group and putting this disappointing week behind us.

“We didn’t have the best of starts, conceding the early goal, but after that, I thought it was a pretty even game.

“I felt we probably deserved to get something out of it but we will need to brush ourselves down.”