REUBEN Reid fired a late equaliser for Rotherham as Dale conceded a two-goal lead at the Don Valley Stadium, travelling home with a point and what felt like a defeat.

Dale were far superior for long periods and were cruising towards a comfortable win until Lee Thorpe’s sending off turned the game on its head late on.

Dale opened the scoring in the 40th minute when Jordan Rhodes intercepted the ball 40 yards from goal and fed Will Buckley on the right.

After an exchange of passes with Adam Le Fondre the teenager advanced into the area and side-footed a shot on target which was parried into the path of Rhodes, the 18-year-old snapping up the chance and firing low into the net from 10 yards.

Dale were two up when Buckly latched on to a pass from Gary Jones to slot home inside at the near post.

Thorpe, on in the 66th minute for Le Fondre, saw just a few minutes of action before referee Darren Drysdale dismissed him for an airborne lunge at Ian Sharps.

Contact was minimal, but the challenge was a wild one.

Things got worse for Dale in the 76th minute when McArdle sent a looping header over Sam Russell, continuing Dale’s recent trend of conceding soft goals despite defending well for the majority of the game.

With six minutes of time added on to play, it was always going to be a tough ask for Dale and Rotherham’s pressure paid off when Reid collected the ball on the edge of the area and sent a powerful shot wide of Russell’s despairing dive.

What is your verdict on the game? Have your say.

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