Rochdale 1 Shrewsbury Town 1

Rochdale manager Keith Hill took the opportunity to rest the bulk of his first-choice 11 and the mixture of fringe and youth team players could count themselves unlucky not to have taken all three points in what was a very one-sided game.

The home side started the brighter with livewire Chris Dagnall forcing a good save out of visiting keeper Scott Bevan within five minutes and teenager Joe Thompson saw his effort go narrowly wide from the edge of the box.

Against the run of play Shrewsbury took the lead on 34 minutes. Midfielder Asa Hall claimed the last touch to a well-delivered Ben Davies free kick.

The home side came close to an equaliser just before the break when Simon Ramsden's cross found Ben Muirhead but his effort was deflected narrowly wide.

A deserved equaliser arrived nine minutes after the break and came with more than a little help from Shrews keeper Bevan.

The giant stopper failed to hold a Ramsden cross and then spilled the ball as he tried to re-collect it and presented Dagnall with the easiest of opportunities to roll the ball into the net.

Rochdale continued to press but could not find a way through and when they did find the back of the net Adam Le Fondre was penalised for handball.

Shrewsbury's only other chance of the game came on 79 minutes when James Constable headed wide when he should have done better.

Rochdale can now look forward to the play-offs and a semi-final first leg game at Darlington next Saturday.