Ethan Hamilton fired a precious late winner as Rochdale eased their League One relegation fears with victory at Bristol Rovers.
The visitors clinched a deserved three points when Hamilton controlled a ball cut back by Ian Henderson to find the top corner with a precise left-footed chip.
Rovers turned in a woeful performance, Liam Sercombe going closest to a goal with a 78th minute shot from outside the box, which flashed inches wide.
It was a forgettable game of few scoring opportunities as Ethan Ebanks-Landell excelled at the heart of a strong visiting defence.
Rochdale looked comfortable for most of the first half, but gifted Rovers the best chance on 24 minutes as Sercombe latched onto a poor pass from goalkeeper Josh Lillis and burst forward only to shoot wide of the far post.
Veteran Rochdale centre-forward Aaron Wilbraham caused problems in the air, but their only first-half efforts came from distance, despite some promising approach play.
The result saw Rochdale leapfrog their opponents in the table, leaving Rovers with work still to do to guarantee survival.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
