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Rochdale beaten at home as Morecambe claim 4 2 win

Saturday, 4 April 2026 13:45

By David Murphy

Credit: Malcolm Journeaux

Rochdale suffered their first home defeat since October despite taking an early lead and mounting a late response against Morecambe.

Jimmy McNulty named an unchanged outfield side following the win at Sutton United, with Oliver Whatmuff returning in goal. Rochdale started on the front foot and created early pressure, with Kyron Gordon and Devante Rodney both involved in attacking moves inside the opening stages.

The breakthrough came in the 19th minute when Aidan Barlow collected possession on the left and lifted a looping effort over the goalkeeper into the far corner to give Rochdale the lead.

Rochdale continued to threaten from set pieces, with Luke Hannant and Casey Pettit both going close, while Gordon narrowly missed the target with a header. Despite the pressure, Morecambe equalised with their first shot on target as Lewis Payne struck low into the near corner after 32 minutes.

Mani Dieseruvwe had a chance to restore the lead before the break but was denied by a save from Myles Boney.

Early in the second half, Rodney attempted to capitalise on a poor clearance but the visiting goalkeeper recovered. Morecambe then took control of the game as Payne scored his second from close range, before Jack Nolan added a third with a diving header.

Rochdale thought they had pulled a goal back during a period of pressure but the effort was ruled out for offside. Ian Henderson was introduced and reduced the deficit in the 77th minute with a lofted finish into the far corner.

Late chances fell to substitute Kairo Mitchell Smith, but Morecambe defended well to preserve their lead. In the final moments, Ben Tollitt broke forward and added a fourth to seal the result.

The defeat ends Rochdale’s unbeaten run at the Crown Oil Arena stretching back several months.

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Credit: Malcolm Journeaux

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