DALE eased the pain of their manager Keith Hill with a three-goal mauling of fellow play-off hopefuls Notts County.

Hill had said Saturday's 3-2 defeat at Dagenham was his most hurtful moment in football.

But all that agony was washed away by the good medicine of goals from Will Buckley, Chris Dagnall and an own goal, as Dale swept back towards the play-off places.

"It was a fully professional, fully boring 3-0 win," smiled Hill, who made three changes to his beaten team.

"We gave 100 per cent but we also did that on Saturday without reward. In fact the performance at Dagenham was probably better - the result definitely wasn't!"

Dagnall led the Dale line superbly, grabbing a goal, while Scott Wiseman and Joe Thompson were a constant menace down the right.

With misty drizzle draping itself over Spotland like a shroud, no wonder the first half was something of a wet blanket.

The visitors, hitherto un- beaten in 2009, were happy to play a counterattacking game as Dale pushed forward tentatively seeking to extend their proud home record to 11 games without defeat.

So it was no great surprise that it took over half an hour before either goalkeeper was called into decisive action.

The keeper in question was County's Josh Lillis, son of ex-Manchester City striker Mark, who tipped away a Nicky Adams cross-shot.

Thompson forced Lillis into another full-length save as Dale finished the half strongly and the pressure finally told in injury time.

Buckley was instrumental, linking beautifully with Adams in midfield and then arriving in the box at precisely the right moment to pick up a hashed clearance, turn and fire in a shot which deflected into the net.

Dale consolidated at the start of the second half and then burst back into life as sub Adam Le Fondre added fresh spark to their attacking ambitions.

On 72 minutes they grabbed the cushion they needed.

The enterprising Wiseman slipped the ball to Le Fondre, marauding on the right. His cross found Dagnall to bundle in his eighth goal of the season.

From then on it was plain sailing and in injury time Le Fondre crossed for defender John Thompson to turn the ball into his own net, with the Dale striker loudly claiming it. Tweet