Accrington Stanley must feel that they’re cursed in games against Rochdale after they failed to beat the men from Spotland at the fifth time of asking.

The Reds were beaten 3-1 despite dominating the early stages and making enough chances to win the game twice over.

Manager John Coleman made one change for the game, replacing Jimmy Ryan with Terry Gornell and employing Jamie Clarke in a right midfield role.

And things started perfectly for Stanley, when John Miles found Chris King overlapping on the left and chested down the full back’s return before volleying it decisively into the top right corner from the edge of the D.

Only 70 seconds had elapsed and the Reds were in front.

Rochdale mustered an immediate response, with Gary Jones heading wide, but the majority of the play was in their half.

And it was Dale keeper Sam Russell with the saves to make; first a stinging Peter Cavanagh drive which he turned over the crossbar after just four minutes, then a sharp stop from Clarke’s overhead kick after a scramble inside the penalty area.

The momentum was all with the home side, and the visitors were reduced to long range efforts in the early stages, with Adam Rundle and Clark Keltie both firing over the top.

With 10 minutes gone, the Stanley contingent at the Coppice End thought that their team had a second.

Paul Mullin hit a speculative chip from long range, and though the back pedalling Russell caught the ball, there were suggestions that he'd carried it over the line.

Stanley continued to threaten, and when Colin Murdock headed over a Cavanagh cross on 20 minutes, it seemed only a matter of time before the elusive second goal came along.

The visitors continued to try to catch Stanley on the break, and Le Fondre tested Kenny Arthur with a long range effort, but it was still Stanley making most of the running in the final third.

Murdock and Paul Mullin both put headers wide as the Reds failed to make the best of their momentum, and there was a shock on the way.

With 37 minutes gone, Will Buckley made a run into the area on the Rochdale right and was met by Miles.

The Stanley winger brought the youngster down, and referee Lee Probert pointed to the penalty spot. Adam Le Fondre stepped up and powered the penalty into the bottom left corner to level the scores.

Now the visitors were on the front foot, and they were pushing for the second goal. Le Fondre fired over, Keltie saw a shot blocked by John Mullin and Arthur saved an effort from Jordan Rhodes.

At the break Stanley were clearly frustrated to see the scores level, and it didn’t get better from there on in.

Fom the re-start, they could and perhaps should have been in front again.

Rostyn Griffiths did all the hard work to run from the half way line, evade a challenge on the edge of the box and get one on one with Russell.

But the on loan Blackburn Rovers man scuffed his shot wide of the far post when it seemed he’d find the back of the net.

At the other end, Rundle and Le Fondre both tested Arthur as the pendulum began to swing towards the visitors.

And with 11 minutes second- half minutes gone, they took the lead when King was dispossessed and Buckley seized his chance.

The right winger burst into the box, and fired home from a tight angle.

Stanley needed to respond quickly, but in the short term were pinned back as Keltie hit an effort over the bar and Dale didn’t allow them to get the ball out of their own half.

Coleman’s men survived a skirmish in the penalty area soon after when Rhodes, Rundle and then substitute Chris Dagnall were denied in quick succession.

But they did begin to respond, and Miles might have done better with a back post strike from sub Ryan’s right wing delivery on 66 minutes, before Griffiths saw a shot charged down on the edge of the box.

Gornell might have got his side back in it thirteen minutes from the end when he latched onto Paul Mullin's flick on from a long ball and shaped to shoot inside the box on the left.

But the Tramere loanee couldn’t grab his first Stanley goal, seeing his right foot shot go wide of the near post.

The visitors seemed content to see out the remaining minutes, but continued to threaten Arthur’s goal.

Captain Gary Jones had a chance on 83 minutes, finding himself one on one with the Scot, but only finding the goalkeeper's body with his effort.

There was to be a third goal though, and it came deep in stoppage time when the Reds were pushing for an equaliser.

With men committed forward they were short in numbers at the back and substitute Joe Thompson made headway down the left hand side. He got into the box, and despite the best efforts of the defence and a block from Arthur got the ball across to Rhodes.

The striker span quickly and poked the ball home to ensure that the points headed back to Spotland.