Rochdale 0 Shrewsbury 2 - Report

Some 13 fruitless attempts had passed since Shrewsbury’s last success against the Dale, a crazy 7-1 victory in February 2001.

And one of Town’s unhappiest hunting grounds and records was put to bed as Josh Daniels and Josh Vela scored second-half goals inside 10 minutes to down struggling basement boys Rochdale, whose five-month search for a home win goes on.

The victory was a perfect tonic for Steve Cotterill’s visitors - without their absent boss - who responded superbly from a bad week and poor first half, albeit one they somehow ended goalless.

The only sour note is the victory at Spotland, where thousands of Shrewsbury fans have visited with no joy in 20 years, was not witnessed in person by a single supporter.

The win, to send Town to 41 points, included a welcome clean sheet for stand-in goalkeeper Harry Burgoyne, as Salop recovered from a half hour in which Rochdale were dominant.

Town decided to rest first choice Matija Sarkic. The on-loan goalkeeper had been playing through a quad niggle for the last couple of games, which had affected his kicking.

Burgoyne was handed his first league start since November 21 at Ipswich in his place. Ludlow’s Burgoyne is set for a run in the team later this month as Sarkic jets away on international duty with Montenegro.

Academy goalkeeper Jaden Bevan, 18, travelled with the first team for the first time. The Shrewsbury-born youngster has been with the club since aged 14 and has been on loan at Haughmond. Cameron Gregory is injured.

Other eye-catching team news saw loan pair Matthew Pennington and Harry Chapman dropped, alongside Curtis Main, in four changes from the below-par display at home to Fleetwood.

Midfielder Brad Walker, back from three months out with an ankle injury having made a cameo on Saturday, was handed a start on the right of Shrewsbury’s back three.

Sean Goss was introduced in attacking midfield and Daniel Udoh started in attack as Main was rotated out.

Despite Shrews’ woeful record for two decades in Rochdale, Cotterill and Aaron Wilbraham’s men were presented with, on paper, an ideal opportunity to put right a winless run of three games with the trip to out-of-sorts Dale.

Brian Barry-Murphy’s side had not won at home in 16 attempts, dating back to October 3. They had not won anywhere in eight and found themselves rooted to the foot of League One, albeit only three points adrift of safety ahead of kick-off.

A tense, cold evening brought the feel of a huge occasion for the struggling hosts.

The hosts missed the likes of influential stars Ollie Rathbone (suspension) and Matty Lund (injured).

For assistant Wilbraham, football had gone full circle. One year and two days ago, the former veteran striker made the final of his 782 career appearances, where he was man of the match for Rochdale against promotion winners Rotherham.

Rochdale, who beat Sam Ricketts’ Salop 2-1 at the Meadow in October, predictability began with the necessary zip and intensity that a must-win encounter required.

Ex-Town loan frontman Stephen Humphrys tested Burgoyne in the visitors’ goal with an early low strike from distance.

A bright 10 minutes from the hosts brought encouraging cheers from the home directors in the compact stand behind the dugout at Spotland.

Rochdale knocked it around nicely, encouraged by vocal boss Barry-Murphy, while Conor Shaughnessy’s long throw was an early weapon.

It was a dead ball that left Shrewsbury looking vulnerable as a corner was poorly spilled by Burgoyne, before a scrambled back post effort from Jimmy Keohane was somehow cleared off the line by a recovering white away shirt. Humphrys couldn’t get purchase on his back-heeled rebound. It was a big warning.

Humphrys had the bit between his teeth. He darted beyond two limp Salop challenges and Ro-Shaun Williams was forced to cynically foul his man just beyond the centre circle, for a deserved booking.

Town continued to toil as the hosts blitzed them early on. A simple long ball caught out Shrews’ back three, as Ethan Ebanks-Landell opted to leave and Matty Done raced in on goal, where he was met by Burgoyne, who rushed out of his box and was rounded.

Done squared in the six yard box for Humphrys, who could not miss, but lost his footing on the hard turf and Williams was somehow allowed to clear.

The opening half hour was poor in keeping with recent Bristol Rovers and Wimbledon efforts, but Town found their feet. Shaun Whalley curled at Gavin Bazunu before the impressive Nathanael Ogbeta stretched the keeper with his weaker right foot from distance.

The visitors were under no illusion the second half required improvement. The hosts, meanwhile, passed 630 minutes since they last scored.

Vela’s low 30-yard strike, comfortably fielded by Bazunu was the first effort of note after the interval.

Done’s excellent cross from the left was met by Humphrys back-post header, which flicked the crossbar on its way over, but the offside flag was raised.

The second period was 10 minutes old when the visitors made a priceless breakthrough.

A neat ball down the left found Whalley, who delivered a perfect cross to the back post, where right wing-back Daniels - ordered to get into the box by Wilbraham throughout the first half - powered an excellent free header goalwards.

Bazunu got two good hands to the effort but only helped it into the top corner. It was the spring-heeled Daniels’ second headed goal in six league starts in his debut season.

Rochdale’s response was decent. Experienced skipper Eoghan O’Connell headed on to the roof of the net from a corner.

But Shrews were rewarded for a fine second half of their own with an invaluable second.

Again Whalley was the creator-in-chief. His smart, first-time slide rule pass was missed by the retreating Paul McShane for the rampaging Vela, who charged through vacant midfield and defensive space and showed ice-cool composure to slide in an excellent one-on-one finish against Bazunu, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way.

It knocked the stuffing out the hosts, whose changes got them on the front foot but chances were at the premium, as Burgoyne denied Humphrys from a tight angle.

An historic Shrews win, enjoyed in front of no fans, has at least put the history books right.

Teams

Rochdale (4-4-2):

Bazunu; McLaughlin (Baah, 65), Osho (Newby, 79), McShane (Morley, 66), Keohane; Shaughnessy, O’Connell (c), Roberts, Grant; Done, Humphrys.

Subs not used: Lynch, McNulty, Brierley. Dunne.

Shrewsbury Town (3-5-2):

Burgoyne; Walker (Pennington, 74), Ebanks-Landell ©, Williams; Daniels, Walker, Vela, Davis (Edwards, 74), Ogbeta, Goss; Whalley (Main, 87), Udoh (Pyke, 87).

Subs not used: Sarkic, Sears, Chapman.

Referee: Martin Coy

Attendance: Zero