THE Stags followed up their excellent performance at Goole with an even better one at Gresley.

The two wins have put Dale back on the fringes of things at the right end of the table, and with everyone beating each other another couple of victories could see them in the top six after a disappointing start to the campaign.

The scene was set in the second minute when Chris MacKay picked up the ball and was allowed to cut inside and fire an unstoppable shot into the top corner from 20 yards to give Dale the ideal start.

Gresely hit back in the 15th minute when danger man Aaron O'Connor levelled from close range, but that was as good as it got for Gresley as Dale dominated the remainder of the game.

Matt Edgington had a shot which drifted just wide, with both Phil Eastwood and Neil Zarac both going close with other efforts as Dale pressed forward.

It was little surprise when Zarac got his sixth of the season in the 38th minute when he turned home Edgington's right wing cross at the back post.

It got even better on the stroke of half time when Bill Robertson opened his account with a powerful header from 10 yards.

Six minutes after the break, it was Dene Whittal-Williams turn to take advantage of an increasingly generous defence to make it 4-1.

A fifth would have rounded things off, but the Dale faithful went home more than happy as the side, for the second time in a week, left the field to a deserved standing ovation.