Dale still on the up

Rochdale continued their recent revival under manager John Coleman with a battling 0-0 draw at Colchester on Saturday.

There was little to choose between the two sides and chances were few and far between. Colchester looked the most threatening in the first half and home debutant Freddie Sears fired over the crossbar after running at the Dale defence in the opening stages. Steven Gillespie forced Rochdale goalkeeper Peter Kurucz into his first save when he parried a shot away and Ian Henderson saw his effort sail over from the edge of the penalty area. Rochdale came close to taking the lead five minutes after the break when U's goalkeeper Ben Williams brilliantly denied Michael Symes from close range. But Colchester looked the more likely side to grab a winner and Sears fired over from a tight angle, but Symes sliced wide for Dale in the closing stages and Williams tipped over Jason Kennedy's header as the points were shared.