McNulty excited by challenge keeping Rochdale in EFL

Rochdale interim manager Jim McNulty admitted he was excited as his bid to save the club from relegation from the EFL continued with a magnificent 1-1 draw at promotion-chasing Mansfield.

It followed two wins in a row for the league’s bottom club with Dale coming back from a sixth-minute goal for the Stags, seeing goalkeeper Richard O’Donnell in magnificent form and then almost snatching it near the end.

“It was a brilliant point against a team who were at home and gunning for the play-offs,” said McNulty.

“They are a very dangerous team and had scored eight goals in their last two games – which was reflected on what they did to us in our own stadium – so we were very mindful of that.

“They put us under it, no doubt about it, which we expected and prepared for. We did ride our luck at times and our keeper was excellent. Our confidence took time to grow.

“It’s been a very good Easter, despite the horrendous position we find ourselves in. There is not a lot of hope from outside our walls but lots of hope and optimism inside our walls and lots of excitement for me to work with these players.

“There is always hope we can win the next game and I believe we can win it.”

Lucas Akins’ clever backheel set up Hiram Boateng for the opener after six minutes.

But Dale grew into the game and levelled on 43 minutes when young Burnley loanee Owen Dodgson drilled a low finish across Christy Pym for his first senior goal.

O’Donnell denied Stephen Quinn with his legs before the break and in the second half somehow kept out Davis Keillor-Dunn, Keiran Wallace and Boateng as the Stags piled on the pressure.

But Dale caught them on the break on 84 minutes and D’Mani Mellor was unlucky to see his effort come back off the crossbar.

Mansfield boss Nigel Clough reflected on more lost points for their automatic promotion bid as they again dropped out the play-off places.

“We are six unbeaten, but there have been four draws in that and you have to win your home games – and today against bottom of the league, we should have won,” said Clough.

“You’d probably have taken a point at Swindon and then three today. But having got the two great results against Crawley and Swindon, we should have backed them up with another one today.

“I was hugely frustrated and disappointed not to get the three points.

“We had enough of the game and situations and chances today and the goal we conceded was sloppy.

“We had chance after chance and their keeper has made two or three fantastic saves for them today. But we have still not done enough to score that second goal.

“They hit the bar near the end and we could have ended up losing it, which would have been a bit of a travesty. But we should have been out of sight before that.”