Exeter City 0 Rochdale 1.
Saturday 12 March 2011.

Ref: Dave Foster

Att: 2726 with 256 City fans.

BBC match report –

Rochdale slipped to a third successive defeat as Jamie Cureton's first-half strike gave Exeter the win.

David Noble went close for the visitors with a dipping volley and at the other end Ben Hamer saved well from Gary Jones and Chris O'Grady.

Exeter punished their hosts on the counter-attack as Hamer's goal kick was flicked on by Richard Logan for Cureton to slot home.

Jones had Rochdale's best chance of the second half but blasted wide.

Rochdale manager Keith Hill told BBC Radio Manchester:

"Once they got their goal they did a great job on us. They've got very good players to protect a lead.

"When you concede that type of goal when you're at home negativity creeps onto the pitch and then you get players who tighten up and don't show the bravery they should be.

"We're looking for players to lead when we're losing football matches and I don't think we saw that today."

Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale told BBC Radio Devon:
"It was very competent performance, with a free-flowing first-half and then, having got a goal lead, it was a professional second-half.

"We should be buoyed off the back of today's performance that we are a competitive team at the moment with some quality mixed in there."