DESPITE a much improved performance and being much the better side for long periods, Rochdale suffered a fourth successive defeat to find themselves dumped outside the play-off places by their hosts.

Having gone close on three or four occasions in the early stages, the visitors took a deserved lead midway through the first half when a flowing move resulted in a diving header by Paul Tait.

Very much against the run of play, the home side equalised minutes before the break when Matt Crowell converted a hotly disputed penalty after Gareth Griffiths was adjudged to have impeded Dennis Lawrence.

With Rochdale again pressing, and directly following two goal-line clearances at the other end of the field, Wrexham's Darren Ferguson produced a stunning strike from fully 30 yards to put his side ahead after 65 minutes.

Rochdale pressed hard in the final stages and should have grabbed a share of the spoils when first of all Tait missed inexplicably from four yards, and then Warren Goodhind saw his effort from distance cannon off the inside of the post in stoppage time.