Fans' outrage at grim Latics

NO GOAL . . . Cameron Burgess shoots home, but the goal is ruled out. PICTURES by ALAN HOWARTH

ATHLETIC fans made their feelings known at full-time after watching a deeply dispiriting effort from their side.

Connor Ripley, so often the saviour this season and with two more superb saves at Spotland, made a point of going over to applaud the backing of the loyal 1,995, as did skipper Peter Clarke.

Once again, those two were beyond reproach.

Unfortunately, too many of those team-mates who stayed a safe distance from the justifiably angry travelling support while offering their own applause failed to match up to the efforts of the leading-light duo.

Athletic were dramatically, woefully under-par in the first half of a deserved and painful defeat at Rochdale.

Matty Lund struck what turned out to be a winning goal in the 40th minute as the pressure that was mounting eventually led to a crack in Athletic's defence.

That goal for Keith Hill's side came after Joe Bunney's free-kick was brilliantly turned onto his own crossbar by a leaping Ripley and before home skipper Callum Camps' dipping volley threatened to creep in but for an agile tip-over in the second half.

To the credit of manager Stephen Robinson's side, they emerged fired-up in the second half.

Freddie Ladapo, who had an ineffectual afternoon before being hauled off at the break, forced Josh Lillis into a save shortly before the interval and his replacement Billy Mckay - still hunting his first league goal for the club - directed a near-post header off-target when he should have scored.

FLASHED

Lee Erwin chested down and flashed a fierce half-volley a whisker wide from 20 yards out.

But despite the close shaves, ultimately this was another afternoon in which Athletic were firing blanks.

So far this season, in 11 out of 16 games the club have failed to find the net.

It is perhaps telling that young centre-back George Edmundson's two goals for Alfreton on Saturday have made him the joint top scorer on the club's books this season.

The first-half effort was clearly not what Robinson expected, having drilled into his side the need to go toe-to-toe with Rochdale.

The manager made one change from the side which lost 2-0 at home to Bristol Rovers. Out went Carl Winchester, dropped to the bench, with Ryan McLaughlin's impressive substitute outing landing him a starting role on the right flank for the third time in the league.

In a frantic start with congested midfield, Athletic initially started giving as good as they got, though with Bunney influential surging forward down the left, the hosts forced Ripley into a low stop when Nathaniel Mendez-Laing just failed to get a touch on a low cross.

Bunney's deflected long-range drive after 22 minutes also warmed Ripley's palms and the goalkeeper was forced to really bend his back five minutes later.

The decision to award a free-kick against Cameron Burgess for a foul on Steven Davies looked dubious - he appeared to nick the ball cleanly - but Bunney's strike was a clean as a whistle and destined for the top-right corner of Ripley's goal, but for a superb stop, tipping the ball onto the bar.

Rochdale grew into the half and were winning the majority of contested tackles, putting heads and bodies in against hesitant opponents.

It wasn't much of a surprise, then, that Hill's side took the lead.

Lund had earlier seen a shot from 12 yards blocked well by a diving combination of Burgess and Jamie Reckord, but he made the most of his second chance moments later.

The cross came from the left and the former Athletic loan man struck clinically with his right foot from a central position.

Ladapo - an anonymous presence in a first half in which Athletic could not hold up the ball in the final third - found himself in on goal two minutes after the strike, but under pressure from a defender his shot was palmed out by Lillis for a corner.

Still, half-time didn't come a moment too soon for Athletic.

Fired-up by Robinson, the visitors emerged improved for the second half with Mckay on for Ladapo.

McLaughlin came more into the game, and in the 55th minute the lively on-loan Wigan striker Mckay almost netted from a Paul Green delivery.

Clarke hammered in a shot amid a goalmouth scramble that provoked a diving block.

Cameron Dummigan fired one well over the top, first-time, after the hour mark, but Athletic's approach became less structured in the desperation to try to take a point.

Erwin went close with his flashing drive and five minutes from the end, the Scot spun in the area before not getting hold of a shot that was easy for Lillis to deal with.

Camps had almost made it 2-0 by then and Clarke had to block a goal-bound effort from Davies.

Athletic's fans made their own fun, serenading a steward who was apparently a dead ringer for Boris Johnson. There wasn't much to enjoy on the field.

IN A NUTSHELL: Athletic paid the price for an insipid first half.