by Gwyn Griffiths

MATT Tootle's own goal agony summed up another fruitless afternoon for plummeting Crewe.The teenager has impressed with some mature displays since displacing former Alex captain Billy Jones from the left-back berth.

But Crewe boss Dario Gradi admits he might have to take Tootle out of the firing line after his blooper shortly after the re-start put paid to his side’s hopes of taking an unlikely point at Spotland.

The youngster couldn’t have been any more distracted had  Rochdale-born beauty Lisa Stansfield been standing behind the visiting goal as he appeared to be when Chris Dagnall drove over a tame cross.

Caught in two minds, Tootle could only pass the ball into his own net to the anguish of keeper Steve Phillips, whose later handiwork ensured Crewe weren’t on the end of a real hiding.

“Matt might need a rest, although he has done fine for us,” admitted Gradi. “It’s not been easy for him to go in and he’s a level-headed boy who is not going to fall apart.

“But that was very unlike him. I didn’t expect him to do that.”

The error was more or less game, set and match for a powerful, well-organised Rochdale side who will almost certainly secure the club’s first promotion since 1969; probably some weeks before the May finale.

Keith Hill has fashioned a successful outfit based on work-rate and commitment, and too often they brushed Crewe’s  challenges aside.

But the Dale boss also has League Two’s most productive strike duo in Chris O’Grady and Chris Dagnall.

The latter, once discarded by Tranmere, is a darting worry at this level, while O’Grady combines physique with ability on the ball.

They gave Danny O’Donnell and Harry Worley a rough ride with O’Grady’s eighth-minute volley adding to Crewe’s woes after they lost Calvin Zola to a hamstring injury after just four minutes.

Tootle managed to clear Dagnall’s first effort off the line, but when the ball looped back out, the former Rotherham and Oldham man thundered it back in under the bar.

Zola’s departure left Crewe needing a different approach, but neither substitute Byron Moore nor Shaun Miller, who was preferred to Clayton Donaldson, threatened to make a game of it.

Miller had won his starting chance by sneaking last Tuesday’s late equaliser against Torquay, but displays like this are likely to consign him permanently to a role as a late impact player.

“It was hard for both the strikers,” claimed Gradi. “They didn’t do particularly well when they got the ball, but it wouldn’t be fair to blame them. The service to them was poor.

“Their front two had good service and caused us a whole host of problems.”

Moore did at least get in behind on one occasion when Crewe were denied a stonewall penalty.

He was scythed down by Craig Dawson’s desperate sideways lunge, but referee Steve Rushton waved play on.

Crewe were enjoying their best spell of the game at that stage, with Steve Schumacher warming loan keeper Frank Fielding’s hands with a thumping free kick and Luke Murphy, who had displaced Joel Grant on the left, sweeping just over.

But John Brayford denied O’Grady a second when he booted the striker’s effort clear of his own six-yard box and Phillips then did well to keep out a dipping shot from Dagnall.

The own goal appeared to end Crewe’s resistance  and, while Danny Shelley was introduced for a fuming Simon Walton and, later, Grant emerged for Murphy, they looked more likely to concede more than reduce the defecit.

Dale sub Kallum Higginbotham attempted to emulate his long-range special in the 2-2 draw at Gresty Road on Boxing Day, but Phillips palmed away his 25-yarder.

The experienced keeper also pushed away Dawson’s thumping header.

Had either of those gone in, then Dale would have been recording their biggest score against Crewe in 48 years.

This was only the third clash between the teams in the last 15 years and it could be some time before they see each other again unless Crewe can replicate some of the home side’s steel to follow them out of the division.

“The game was going to be really difficult after the own goal,” added Gradi. “We’d stayed in the game up to that point.

“We might have had a penalty and the players thought it was one, but we’re having a little spell where we are not getting any luck, although our defending was poor and O’Grady and Dagnall gave our centre halves a hard time.

“Joel (Grant) had a chance when he got in at the end, but he didn’t do enough to save the day.”