MATCH REPORT: Fleetwood 0 Rochdale 0

Town retained their grip on fourth spot in the table but it could have been a different story had Dale old boy David Ball rifled home one-on-one with Ben Wilson just seconds into the second half.

Fleetwood boss Uwe Rosler made four changes for the Rochdale clash.

Jack Sowerby came in at right wing-back for the injured Conor McLaughlin.

George Glendon also came in for Markus Schwabl in the centre of midfield while Rosler rotates his strikers once again with David Ball and Ash Hunter in for Devante Cole and Wes Burns.

In the opening stages it was a lovely advert for League One football with some neat free-flowing passing moves from both sides.

But it was Fleetwood who looked like they had the edge as Hunter and Ball managed to get in behind a couple of times but Town were often thwarted by the offside flag.

Hunter fizzed a fierce effort straight at Ben Wilson and Ball was cynically chopped down by Keith Keane who was booked for his troubles after he stopped the striker checking inside on the edge of the box.

It was a lightning quick start to the second half by Town after the introduction of Victor Nirennold at right wing back.

Town should have been ahead just seconds after the re-start after a bad Rochdale clearing header put Ball through on goal. A few blue shirts recovered to nibble around his feet but he stormed on before blasting the ball wide of the right stick.

Fleetwood dominated the game from there-in with Ball whipping a neat cross in from the right that was just poked wide by Hunter.

A rare mistake from Dempsey who could only help a long ball into the path of the unmarked Henderson nearly saw Town concede but fortunately Henderson with acres of time and space with just Cairns to beat chipped the ball wide of the right stick.

But the game fizzled out and Rochdale still had flashes of danger in the final third with Rathborne fizzing the ball past the right stick after Kitching had got the better of Dempsey and Nirennold on the left flank.

Burns curled one around the right stick as Bell was pushed up into a more attacking role.

It looked like Town might have to face the final five or so minutes without Burns after he was shaken by a Rochdale tackle, he managed to shake off the leg knock but could not find a way past Rochdale and the game ended all square.

Fleetwood: Cairns, Sowerby (Nirennold, 46), Eastham, Bolger, Davies, Bell, Dempsey, Glendon (Schwabl, 56) Grant, Ball, Hunter (Burns, 77). Subs not used: Neal, Brannagan, Davis, Cole.

Rochdale: Wilson, Rafferty, Canavan, Mendez-Laing (Camps, 62), Rathbone (Redshaw, 86) , Thompson (Andrew, 46), Keane, Allen, Cannon, Kitching, Henderson. Subs not used: Logan, McNulty, McGahey, Andrew, Camps, Noble-Lazarus, Redshaw.

Referee: J Simpson.