Another huge turn-out from City’s fans; another huge turn-off for City.

This was billed as a benchmark evening against one of their biggest rivals in the promotion fight.

But Stuart McCall’s side, so difficult to beat on their own turf, exposed their Achilles heel once again.

They have now conceded ten goals in three away games – although two last night were from penalties, one of which was highly contentious.

City’s anger and frustration boiled over with the sight of Wayne Jacobs sent to the stand by picky ref Scott Mathieson, who blew his reputation as one of the more lenient officials by showing eight yellow cards.

It was hardly the way City’s assistant boss would have wanted to mark his new contract; and certainly not how McCall would have envisaged beginning a week of three away trips that could have a significant bearing on the final outcome.

McCall had made just the one change from the Aldershot demolition job. Barry Conlon, who had scored the fourth on Saturday, joined forces up front with Peter Thorne as Michael Boulding dropped to the bench.

Once again there was a massive away following and the manager’s orders were not to let them down.

But there were immediate warning signs as right winger Joe Thompson forced an error from Luke O’Brien and Adam Le Fondre skipped past Graeme Lee.

Le Fondre, in particular, looked a threat and forced a couple of quick corners. Lee Thorpe’s thumping header from one needed a careful grab from Rhys Evans on his line.

It was a jittery start from the Bantams, who had not been allowed to settle at all by their sharper hosts.

Rochdale were a whisker away from an 11th-minute opener as centre half Rory McArdle flicked just wide from a low Mark Jones corner.

Evans turned a Tom Kennedy drive round the post as Rochdale continued to rack up the corners – six in the first 15 minutes.

City finally managed their first through Steve Jones three minutes later but Nicky Law’s overhit kick cleared everyone.

Rochdale’s seventh corner was far better and Thorpe should have hit the target with a free header.

The home side had a moment of discomfort when O’Brien’s cross-shot was turned behind by a sliding Nathan Stanton. The corner was taken short to Jones, who drilled a ball across the face of goal but beyond the stretching Graeme Lee.

After the onslaught, City had taken some of the sting out of Dale – and had the chance to do better on the half hour when the two centre halves got in each other’s way. The ball dropped loose to Peter Thorne but McArdle recovered in time to smuggle it away before he could pull the trigger.

Within a minute, Thorne was bearing down on goal again but keeper Frank Fielding, who had been given nothing to do up to then, showed alertness to come dashing out and block with his body.

Amazingly, City fans were still streaming into the ground. The away support, which had originally taken up four blocks of the Willbutts Lane Stand along one side of the pitch, now stretched virtually end to end.

The late arrivals were seeing a better effort from their team, who were beginning to give Rochdale some proper competition after that timid opening quarter.

Thorne showed the extra hunger by twice blocking McArdle’s attempts to clear. Joe Colbeck backed him up and crossed but Conlon could not make anything of the header.

Both strikers then popped up in their own penalty area to nod clear of danger before Steve Jones launched a swift counter-attack that was cut short by a cynical foul from McArdle. He joined Mark Jones in the book while namesake Steve was able to continue after treatment.

Lee lined up the long distance free-kick but it flew straight into Fielding. But City were stepping it up and Thorne latched on to Lee’s clearing header to test the keeper properly.

Fielding started to come for it, checked himself and then reacted superbly to turn Thorne’s precise shot round the post.

The half was finishing in lively fashion and Buckley almost caught out City from a quickly-taken free-kick but fired behind Evans’ net. But for all Rochdale’s early domination, City could look back on the best two chances from the first 45 minutes.

Evans had to be straight out of the blocks from the restart to beat Le Fondre to Thorpe’s touch through but opposite number Fielding proved Dale’s hero again a minute later as he beat away Lee header as the skipper came flying in to meet a corner.

Colbeck then picked up City’s first yellow card for a trip on Buckley - and Rochdale struck from the free-kick. Mark Jones sent it to the far post where McArdle rose from the pack to nod into the corner.

It was a sickener for the Bantams just four minutes into the half and things got even worse six minutes later when Conlon was adjudged to have handled a Rochdale corner in his own box.

Referee Scott Mathieson pointed straight to the spot and Le Fondre’s kick proved too strong for Evans, even though the keeper got both hands to it.

McCall responded with a double change and replaced the ineffective Conlon and Colbeck with Boulding and Lee Bullock. Conlon was furious as he came off and thumped the perspex of the dug-out, which did not impress his manager.

Rochdale had regained their early zip and, as City became ragged, Paul Arnison was booked for cynically blocking Buckley.

There was an air of inevitability about the outcome, with the home side threatening to add to their tally.

Arnison was on thin ice after a second nibble at Buckley and McCall sensibly took him off straight away.

His team’s discipline was falling away and Furman also went into the book after clattering Kennedy.

And Rochdale got the chance to make it 3-0 in the 74th minute with a second highly-contentious penalty. Clarke’s strong challenge on Le Fondre was deemed to be dangerous by the referee and the striker sent Evans the wrong way from the spot.

Nicky Law managed to slip round the back of the Dale defence but his dangerous cross was cleared by Stanton’s diving header – nothing was going City’s way. Jones then produced his best run of the night to feed Boulding but there was no power in his shot.

The yellow cards were flowing and Zesh Rehman was shown City’s fourth – and the seventh overall – for another foul on Buckley.

It was boiling over on and off the pitch, with David Wetherall and Jacobs getting involved in a heated argument with the Rochdale bench.

Mathieson stopped play to talk to McCall – and sent Jacobs to the stands.

There was still time for Law to become the eighth player to go into Mathieson’s book.