- McEvilly (67), McEvilly (83)
- Holt (59)
- Date:2008-12-26
- Kick-off:15:00
- Venue:Spotland Stadium
- Attendance:4159
- Referee:Foster, D
Live Commentary
90mins
That's it, it's all over, the referee has blown the final whistle.
90mins
Ciaran Toner is being taken off, Mark Jones has come on in his place.
87mins
Paul Murray is being taken off, Michael Symes has come on in his place.
83mins
Goal!! Lee McEvilly scores for Rochdale.
79mins
Chris Humphrey is being taken off, Steven Leslie has come on in his place.
71mins
Richard Walker is being taken off, Jamie White has come on in his place.
69mins
Adam Le Fondre is being taken off, Chris Dagnall has come on in his place.
67mins
Goal!! Lee McEvilly scores for Rochdale.
59mins
Goal!! Shrewsbury have scored with Grant Holt putting it in the back of the net.
54mins
Jon Shaw is replaced by Lee McEvilly.
46mins
The second half is under way with the score currently at 0 v 0.
45mins
Half time whistle is blown by D Foster
30mins
Simon Ramsden is booked for unsporting behaviour.
21mins
The referee has booked Clark Keltie.
0mins
The ref has blown his whistle and the match has started.
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Match Report
A second-half double by substitute Lee McEvilly helped Rochdale overcome Shrewsbury Town as they leapfrogged their visitors.
In what had been an evenly-matched contest, Shrewsbury took the lead through former Dale favourite Grant Holt but were unable to hang on as McEvilly and fellow substitute Chris Dagnall turned the game in their side's favour.
An even first half saw few chances with perhaps the best falling to home winger Joe Thompson but he saw his low angled drive brilliantly cleared off the line by defender Kelvin Langmead.
The visitors took the lead when their leading scorer Holt, a cult figure during his time at Spotland, produced a fantastic turn and even better left-footed finish to score his side's first goal in over 360 minutes of football.
Undaunted, the home side simply racked up the pressure and drew level some seven minutes later.
They might have had a penalty but referee Foster awarded them a free-kick literally on the edge of the penalty area and McEvilly stepped up to calmly curl it around the wall and beyond the despairing dive of the poorly positioned Luke Daniels.
The home side weren't content with a share of the points and continued to press and they were rewarded with just seven minutes to go when Dagnall's header from a Clark Keltie corner was hooked off the line by Darren Moss but bundled home from close range by McEvilly as he registered his first brace of a third spell at a club that he calls "home".
Dale certainly didn't sit back on their lead in the late stages and only a terrific save by keeper Daniels denied Adam Rundle a fine individual goal and from the rebound Ciaran Toner blazed over.
The victory sees Rochdale leapfrog Shrewsbury as they move back into the play-off places but at the same time moves the big-spending Shrews out of the top seven.
Rochdale Team
Shrewsbury Town Team
Rochdale | Shrewsbury Town |
Corners
| 5 | 4 |
Fouls
| 6 | 11 |
Goal attempts
| 18 | 14 |
Shots off target
| 8 | 9 |
Offsides
| 0 | 1 |