Rochdale boosted their hopes of a top-three finish with a 2-1 win over fellow high-flyers Darlington.

Le Fondre and Rundle strike in 2-1 win

Rochdale boosted their hopes of a top-three finish with a 2-1 win over fellow promotion hopefuls Darlington. The Quakers had chances early in the game, but it was Rochdale who took the lead in the 28th minute when Adam Le Fondre collected a ball from Scott Wiseman and turned inside the area before firing into the far corner of the net past Dean Gerken. Darlington equalised on the hour mark when Pawel Abbott slotted home from close range after Rochdale had failed to clear Franz Burgmeier's corner. A minute later Rochdale regained the lead as former Darlington midfielder Adam Rundle collected a ball from Le Fondre inside the area and thumped a low shot past Gerken from 10 yards. Darlington midfielder Ricky Ravenhill was shown a straight red card by referee Kevin Friend in the 63rd minute after a two-footed tackle on Scott Wiseman. The Quakers also saw striker Liam Hatch stretchered off after a challenge with Rochdale keeper Frank Fielding.