Before the start of this game Jan Molby told his players that, now we are more or less safe from relegation, the remaining three games would tell him which players would be getting a new contract and which ones wouldn't.

The answer from them was that from next season we shall be playing five a side games and that we only have two players so far.   John Danby and Abdou Sall.

There could be three if West Brom agree to let Simon Brown return to us next season.  At a pinch Wayne Hatswell and Mark Yates could make up the rest of the team but the others must be getting very worried.

Rochdale's men were also fighting for their futures but not for contracts.  Theirs was for the chance to stay in the Football League.

After this win they look to have almost achieved that and now only need one more point from a possible six.

Jan made a few changes from the equally dire game at Cambridge last week by bringing back John Williams, Leon Clarke and Adam Murray in place of Lee Jenkins, Jesper Christiansen and Sean Parrish.  These three did come on during the second half though but matters didn't improve.  We remained dire.

In a game in which we hardly got the ball on target we actually got the ball in the net in the fifteenth minute when Wayne Hatswell drilled home from the edge of the area but the goal was ruled out for an offside decision a few moments earlier.

Almost immediately after that Rochdale almost grabbed a goal for themselves when Lee McEvilley met Gary Jones cross at the far post only to see his strong header deceive John Danby and come back off the bar.

Five minutes later, with our only shot on target throughout the entire game, Adam Murray saw his shot from the edge of the area pushed away by Neil Edwards in the Rochdale goal.

Just under ten minutes from the break and Rochdale grabbed the only goal of the game when Wayne Hatswell made an almighty gaff.

With the goal under no immediate threat the man who I had voted for in the players awards before the game carelessly passed the ball straight to a lurking Dale player.  Lurking Leo Bertos easily rounded Danby to slide the ball into an empty net.

We came close to grabbing a speculative equaliser just before the end of the half but Simon Browns chip landed on the top of the net.

After Rochdale had made a change at the start of this half, when they exchanged Heald for Livesey, they could have extended their lead further when Neil Redfearn, surely playing the last weeks of his long career, almost scored with a long range shot that Danby managed to hold onto at the foot of the post.

Matt Gadsby came close to scoring for us when he picked up a pass from Brown but he hesitated too long and could only curse his luck as Evans swooped to take the ball at his feet.  At least he was making some effort to get into a scoring position because the others didn't seem to be bothering.

On the stroke of the hour Dale were given a free kick on the edge of the area.  Shaun Smith took the free kick in preference to Redfearn and he almost scored with a shot that Redfearn would have been proud of only to see it saved by Danbys legs after the rookie keeper had been sent the wrong way.

Shortly after that Jan made the previously mentioned changes but there was still no improvement in any aspect of our play.  The defence was continually being caught out.  The midfield was being stretched every which way and the attack was still non existent.

We ventured forward in the seventy fifth minute when, again, Brown supplied Gadsby with the ball and this time he did better but still put his header wide.

Redfearn, this time given the responsibility of taking one, went close with a 35yd free kick that went just over the bar.  In the last minute the Rochdale substitute Rory Patterson almost sealed the game for his team but Danby came out well and spread himself to block his shot.

At the end of the day this was just another meaningless end of season game for us but if it had been us in Dales position I think we would be renewing acquaintances with our old friends in the Conference next season.

Our lot have just two more games left to fight for their contracts and I don't see the on form Torquay and Boston giving them much hope.