Dale started into the game with just the one change from last week's game versus Brentford. Loanee Scott Taylor was brought in to replace Adam Le Fondre who had to make do with just a place on the bench.

Not that any of us knew, because we had the most Tinpot organisation shown at a football game for many a year. As the game kicked off, we must have had three hundred supporters at the very least still queuing outside the ground with just three turnstiles available to go through. Yes we had a great following, which let it be said was one of the most vocal in recent years, but it wasn't a following which completely packed the away end out, and any professional side should easily be able to cope with away support of more than a thousand.

Morecambe failed and perhaps its time for the Football League to start getting strict with the Conference sides about the quality of the grounds again. God help them if they manage to get one of the big Lancashire sides in the Cup. It's the organisation of teams like Morecambe which shows the difference between professional organisations and amateurish ones.

Anyway the first half. Assuming nothing dynamic happened in the opening minutes whilst still negotiating my way into the ground, then it proved to be very much the same pattern which continued for much of the first half.

With Scott Taylor in for Alfie, we adopted a much more direct style of play which in no way suited us. We pumped long ball after long ball, and neither of the front two really complimented each other and as such we didn't threaten.

Morecambe equally seemed toothless up front. But with the likes of Jon Newby playing as a forward, what else was going to happen. Actually to be fair, I quite like Jon Newby. He gives thirty somethings like myself hope that I can still make it as a professional footballer, because if he can, then surely the rest of all stand a chance.

However, Morecambe proved to be the least rubbish of the two sides by taking the lead with what was probably their only effort on goal in the first half. The goal came from a questionable free kick which was crossed to the back post where the six foot plus David Artell beat TK in the air to head home. Was Kennedy really the best player to be marking someone who is six foot two at a set peice?

The goal neither kicked us into action or inspired Morecambe to build on their lead. In fact, nothing happened. Had I been one of those reporters who makes notes during the game, I'd have had a blank piece of paper in front of me.

We offered nothing up front, our midfield were being over run and we looked fairly comfortable at the back with Oldham loanee Marcus Holness standing out as our best player.

The first half was without doubt one to turn your hair grey.

Fortunately, the second half was much better. A thousand times better.

Right from the off, we had the proverbial rocket up our rear ends and we played like our lives depended on it. Morecambe were no doubt bricking it as this point, and they had every reason to do so as we tore into them.

There were loads to be positive about as we chased down towards the end containing the Dale support. We had a secret subsitution at half time without telling anyone, as former loan player Ben Muirhead came on to replace the Summer signing Ben Muirhead, and what a difference it made.

We had the old Muirhead back, who was prepared to run at the opposition. It might not have been as effective as it could have been, with some desperate tackling holding him back as he beat two, three, four men.... It certainly proved to be the difference and we started playing football in the Morecambe half.

Very early on, we had the ball in the back of the net for the first time. A good combination saw the ball bouncing around the home team's penalty box, and Glenn Murray curled with his back to goal to put the ball into the far corner. Job done, lots of celebrations, bloody linesman with his flag up.

But this merely signalled our intent for the rest of the game, and it wasn't long before we could jump about celebrating without the linesman spoiling our fun. The goal came about from a cross from the left hand side with McArdle with a low header to get him his second goal of the season.

At this point, the plan was very much go get all three points and take them back to Spotland with us, and the plan seemed to be going according to plan. Alfie was brought on for Taylor, and with that we certainly had more movement as an attacking force.

But try as we might, we couldn't get the breakthrough. We had numerous chances, but as Morecambe packed out their box, we were pretty much restricted to chances in the air, rather than on the floor, and many of these headers went straight into the arms of the Morecambe keeper Drench.

But we did have one chance, and what a chance. And Glenn Murray had the perfect opportunity to give us the lead. With a free header just a yard or so out, he got power and direction on it, but direction saw it go wide when surely it must have been harder to put it wide than in the back of the net.

We were given an advantage in twenty five minutes or so remaining, when the referee sent off one of the Morecambe players. My opinion seemed to be pretty much different from those around me, as I thought the sending off was a bit harsh. It looked to be dangerous play but not intentionally so as the referee immediately showed the red card for studs in the air from Twiss. It looked to be worse because Lomax lowered his head. Given I was fifty yards plus away, replays may suggest the referee was right.

But if anything, the sending off gave the home side some stability and it was almost as if rather than grasping the mantle, we kind of assumed the win was in the bag, and all we had to do was sit back and wait for the winner. However, Morecambe adapted their style and almost came close to winning it themselves with a low drive which tested Spencer.

But again, we thought we had it in the bag, when a long range shot rebounded out of the grasp of keeper Drench. A lurking Murray pounced and produced a horrible finish which was just enough to trickle over the goal line, in a not too dissimilar style to Rio Ferdinand's goal last week. And whilst we all celebrated again, the linesman decided that Murray was in an offside position before he pounced. Was a very close call.

And as the minutes ticked away, we had a few more corners and a few more half chances, but nothing which really tested the Morecambe keeper and we were left to go trudging out of the ground discussing what might have been.

Without a doubt it should have been all three points for Dale, but could we walk away saying we definitely deserved the victory over the full ninety minutes? I'm not convinced.