Le Fondre does the damage again

Who says lightning never strikes twice? It's certainly not Stuart McCall and his beaten Bantams after their last play-off hope disappeared at Spotland.

Super sub Adam Le Fondre came off the bench to settle the match with a late strike - just as he had done when Rochdale won at Valley Parade in February.

City still had time to hit the woodwork in a frantic finish which also saw the ball cleared off the line but they left a pulsating encounter with nothing.

Times had certainly changed since City's last trip to Spotland three years ago, when they strolled to a 5-0 Carling Cup win with a Dean Windass hat-trick.

Now it was Dale who started favourites as they looked to celebrate their centenary season with only the club's second promotion.

City began the night eight points behind their eighth-placed hosts and had played a game more. A victory was a must to keep alive the feint dream of sneaking into the play-offs.

It could not have started in a worse fashion. The game was only 21 seconds old when David Perkins, their chief tormentor at Valley Parade in February, was at it again.

The bleach-haired midfielder wrestled possession from Eddie Johnson on the edge of the City box and fired through the midfielder's legs and past the unsighted Scott Loach into the far corner of the net.

It was a stunning blow for City and their army of travelling fans, although at least there was plenty of time to come back.

They were almost level as early as the eighth minute from a superbly-worked free-kick routine after Barry Conlon was upended by Rory McArdle 25 yards out.

Johnson and Kyle Nix both shaped to shoot but instead stepped over it for Paul Heckingbottom to chip into Johnson's path as he burst into the box. The midfielder's cross-shot flew past Tommy Lee but crashed against the post.

The City fans were still in good voice despite the early shock, although Johnson's attempt to latch on to Heckingbottom's long throw-in brought only mocking cheers from the home crowd as he sliced towards the corner flag.

Joe Colbeck got into the game with a dangerous cross to the far post which was well claimed by Lee, the Keighley-born stopper who had played so well at Valley Parade for Macclesfield way back in August.

Adam Rundle looked a threat on Rochdale's left wing and he teed up Perkins for another try which fortunately flew high over Loach's bar.

But the City keeper had to be alert a minute later to tip over a Ben Muirhead cross from the other flank which was heading goalwards after clipping Heckingbottom.

Perkins obviously planned to shoot on sight and surged forward to try his luck again after Nix sold Johnson short on the halfway line.

The game was flying along at a good tempo and Tom Penford volleyed wide after another Heckingbottom long throw into the danger zone was only half-cleared.

Dale right back Simon Ramsden picked up the first yellow card after half an hour when his cynical trip halted Nix's attempt to break the home offside trap. This time the free-kick was nowhere near as impressive and Lee remained untroubled.

Tom Kennedy's free-kick at the other end was more accurate but straight down the keeper's throat - but City still had their hands full when Dale roared forward in numbers and watched with relief as Rundle volleyed over from 12 yards from Kallum Higginbotham's neat supply.

City could not get a grip on Perkins, who was pulling the strings with his non-stop running in midfield as he had done in the first meeting. He seemed to have a hand in everything.

The Bantams looked for a lift as half-time approached and Johnson had an effort charged down. Hopeful appeals for handball from Penford's follow-up were ignored by referee Andy Haines.

The visitors were almost caught out when Rochdale broke again after another Penford shot was charged down. Higginbotham outmuscled Ben Starosta as the ball span into City's half and Muirhead was only inches away from crowning a slick move with a goal against his former club.

Conlon had battled away to win flick-ons and knock-downs and climbed well to flash a header wide in first-half stoppage time. Then Johnson failed to get any connection at all to a useful cross from Heckingbottom.

City had bounced back superbly from a goal down against Darlington three days earlier. Now they had to do the same against another promotion-chaser on their own manor.

Johnson registered their first shot on target straight away but his bouncing effort carried no threat to Lee.

City were grateful for David Wetherall's block to deny Lee Thorpe as Ramsden drilled a low cross into the six-yard box. The skipper got there at exactly the same moment as the striker to prevent a certain second.

Perkins was booked after upending Nix before Dale made their first change, replacing Muirhead - to a chorus of boos from the City fans - with Chris Dagnall.

The substitute had been on for barely 30 seconds when City hit back. Colbeck had been starved of possession but when he did get a chance to run into the box he was sent tumbling by Tom Kennedy.

It was a clear penalty and Peter Thorne calmly stepped up to slot home his 13th goal of the season as Lee went the wrong way.

Rochdale dusted themselves off and came again straight away. Dagnall, who hit a hat-trick as a sub inside eight minutes against Rotherham on Easter Monday, should have done better with a close-range stab and then Thorpe could not direct a low centre from Perkins.

An ironic Wembley chant broke out from the massed away ranks but Rochdale again went close to regaining the lead as Rundle nipped round the back of City's defence and drilled into the side-netting.

McCall made his first change with 16 minutes left as Alex Rhodes replaced Nix. Rhodes had proved effective in short bursts from the bench in previous matches and the City chief was hoping his extra pace could unlock Rochdale for a second time.

City were losing patience with the referee. Penford argued over a corner decision given against him and then Colbeck was booked for disputing a foul which looked to be a fair tackle.

Luke Medley came on for the last ten minutes for his first action since early November. Rochdale also made a change and brought on Le Fondre, who netted the spectacular stoppage-time winner in February.

Perkins almost came up with a goal to match with eight minutes left, flicking up the ball with one foot and then volleying with the other. Loach was well beaten but luckily the ball flew just the other side of the far post.

But City's survival proved shortlived as, with two minutes to go, Thorpe's flick-on found Le Fondre and his snap-shot gave Loach no chance.

City threw everything at Dale's goal in stoppage time. Bower headed against the bar, Penford saw a shot clawed away and Conlon also hit the bar and was denied on the line as well but the ball just would not go in.

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