Chris Dagnall struck a leveller to earn Rochdale a 1-1 draw at fellow promotion hopefuls Shrewsbury.
Dale pick up priceless point
Chris Dagnall struck a leveller to earn Rochdale a 1-1 draw after they had survived a first-half battering at Shrewsbury.
The point - the home side's sixth draw in seven games - did their faltering play-off hopes little good, while it leaves Dale two points away from the automatic promotion clashes.
The home side were rampant in the first half with Grant Holt and Ben Davies both going close twice and further efforts from Nick Chadwick and Darren Moss also flying just off target, although Frank Fielding didn't have a save to make.
But the home side did take the lead a minute into the second half when the Dale defence allowed Chadwick's nod-on to bounce and Holt pounced to lob a right-foot shot past Fielding.
Dale brought on Lee Thorpe to play three up front and, when Graham Coughlan failed to clear, Dagnall fired past Luke Daniels from 18 yards.
Rochdale's Tom Kennedy and Davies were both just over with 20-yard free kicks at either end but the visitors came closest to a winner five minutes from the end when Thorpe's header bounced onto the crossbar
