Walsall vs Rochdale. Sky Bet League One.
Poundland Bescot StadiumAttendance4,667.
Monday 2 January 2017 19:34, UK
In-form Rochdale romped to a fifth straight victory as they boosted their play-off bid with a 2-0 win at mid-table Walsall.
Ian Henderson - with his eighth league goal of the season - and Joe Thompson netted close-range finishes in each half to keep Dale fourth in the table.
Walsall should have led on 14 minutes as clever touches from first Simeon Jackson and then Florent Cuvelier found Amadou Bakayoko free in the box, but he skied a golden chance from 10 yards.
Rochdale made them pay, going ahead on 23 minutes as Walsall keeper Neil Etheridge could only get fingertips on a deep cross and Joe Rafferty's volley was tapped home by Henderson.
Bakayoko almost fashioned an equaliser to make amends for his earlier miss when he robbed a Dale defender to feed Cuvelier, but he was denied by visiting keeper Conrad Logan.
Rochdale were denied a second goal early in the second half as Etheridge parried Callum Camps' 30-yard free-kick and Henderson was booked for putting the ball back in over the line with his hand.
But they sealed the points on 74 minutes as Thompson pounced on static Walsall defending to poke home Harrison McGahey's cross from five yards.
