Clinical Rochdale put yesterday's game out of sight with four first half goals. Full report online now...

Keith Hill opted with the same starting eleven that won 3-0 on Tuesday as Dale looked to take the game to Aldershot from the start. 

Aldershot shared the same mentality and the first real penetration of either side’s defence came when Fielding was forced to rush out of his away and clear before John Grant had any time to get a shot away. 

Aldershot defender Anthony Charles was the next to come close as he headed over from an Aldershot corner. 

However, Dale “steamed” forward from the goal kick with Jones releasing Adams whose cross from the right was blocked for a corner. 

Adams then whipped the corner in with Thompson leaping highest to beat Mikhael Jaimez-Ruiz with the ‘keeper having no chance as Thompson header went in off the post.

At this point Keith Hill made a subtle change with Thompson and Buckley swapping positions. 

Dale continued to take it to Aldershot with striker Chris Dagnall hitting the post just seconds after. 

Aldershot looked shaken by the way Dale were pushing forward and started to make mistakes all over the pitch, which cost them dearly as Charles failed to clear another Adams cross leaving Thompson to poke home his second. 

Dagnall again came agonisingly close just after the second goal as his shot went narrowly wide having been put through by a Thompson pass. 

Aldershot’s nightmare afternoon continued as Wiseman sliced through their team with a 30 yard run, setting Adams free on the right again, who’s cross was met by Thompson who headed in his third goal of the afternoon and you could see that everyone was delighted for him. 

Aldershot looked to limit the damage to just three goals before half time but lost all hope as they could only watch Ciaran Toner’s 35 yard screamer which made the score 4-0 Rochdale. 

Dale started the second half in the same way they ended the first with Rory McArdle’s header crashing off the cross bar with even the Aldershot fans singing “what the … is going on?” 

Although to be fair, the Aldershot players started to show what they was capable of with John Grant shooting wide after giving himself a yard of space. 

Keith Hill started to change his team around at that point with Adam Rundle replacing Will Buckley and Adam Le Fondre replacing Chris Dagnall. 

Aldershot began to make the score look slightly respectable soon after as Dale failed to clear from the left leaving Aldershot striker Marvin Morgan with a finish not too dissimilar to Thompson’s second. 

There then came a moment of madness for Nathan Stanton as he needlessly felled Morgan outside the penalty area, however the referee didn’t see it that way. 

Instead, the referee gave Aldershot a penalty and then sent Stanton off with the latter decision being the only correct decision of the two. 

Former Reading midfielder Scott Davies definitely opted for power instead of placement with his penalty as his shot to Fielding’s left made it 4-2. 

Simon Ramsden then replaced Nicky Adams as Dale saw out the last ten minutes without many problems. 

Player Ratings:

Frank Fielding 7

Scott Wiseman 8

Rory McArdle 7

Nathan Stanton 5

Tom Kennedy 6

Joe Thompson 9

Gary Jones 7

Ciaran Toner 7

Nicky Adams 8

Chris Dagnall 7

Will Buckley 7 

Substitutes:

Adam Rundle 6

Adam Le Fondre 6

Simon Ramsden 6

Photo: Action Images

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