BOSS Keith Hill was unhappy with the referee after Lee Thorpe's red card cost Rochdale against Rotherham.

Dale surrendered a two-goal advantage afterThorpe's dismissal midway through the second half turned the game on its head.

Sub Thorpe, on the field for just three minutes, saw red for a wild, two-footed lunge at Ian Sharps.

Dale had controlled the contest until the sending off but then struggled with 10-men.

Rory McArdle sent a looping header over Sam Russell and into his own net in the 77th minute and Reuben Reid fired the equaliser from the edge of the box during the six minutes of time added on.

Dale boss Keith Hill had no qualms over the red card, but blasted the ref Darren Drysdale for playing six extra minutes.

"It seemed unwarranted but I cannot legislate for what the referee does," he said.

Jordan Rhodes, the on-loan Ipswich striker making his Dale debut, scored just before the break and when Will Buckley doubled the lead early in the second half the three points looked assured - until Thorpe's moment of madness.

ROCHDALE: Russell 6, Ramsden 6, Stanton 6, McArdle 6, Kennedy 6, Rundle 8, G Jones 8, Keltie 7, Buckley 8 (Toner 72), Rhodes 7 (Dagnall 82), Le Fondre 7, (Thorpe 66).

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