ALTHOUGH the Magpies shaded a gripping and entertaining derby, Dale carved out enough chances to have rewritten the scoreline.

But with Chorley hard-pressed to hold onto a single-goal advantage, a series of glaring misses in front of goal, with Brian Welch the chief culprit, ensured that the visitors left Victory Park empty-handed, their fate ultimately sealed by a stunning late strike by Danny Mills.

Looking for emergency goalkeeping cover, Chorley manager Mark Patterson turned to ex-Bolton Wanderers and Leigh keeper Dave Felgate and the veteran shot-stopper distinguished himself with several fine saves, two of them in the closing stages right out of the top drawer.

Felgate was soon in action as Dale opened impressively, turning over a Simon Burton header, and it was slightly against the run of play when Chorley took the lead after 28 minutes.

The lively Jamie Vermiglio broke through on the right and his teasing low cross was turned into his own net by Matt Woods.

At the other end, Felgate moved smartly to tip round the post a deflection off home skipper Billy McCartney following neat approach play by Blake Norton, who had an outstanding game and caused the Magpies endless problems down the left flank.

But the opening goal clearly lifted Chorley, who fought tenaciously to gain a firm grip on proceedings, so much so that frustration in the Dale ranks led to bookings for Norton, Burton and Welch in a matter of minutes and, as the Magpies finished the first period in command, Andy Mason was inches away from turning in David Eatock's free-kick.

The Magpies were controversially refused a second goal on 54 minutes when a superb shot from outside the box by Eatock was touched onto the bar by keeper Mark Andrews and Mason tapped in the rebound, only to be adjudged offside.

Dale might have drawn level when from Norton's astute pass Welch lifted his shot on the turn high over but the striker was guilty of a shocking miss minutes later.

Again cleverly set up by Norton, Welch had time to pick his spot from eight yards but sidefooted the ball against the upright and then saw Lee Pryers boot his follow-up attempt off the line.

A double substitution, introducing Steve Cunningham and Doni Clarke, visibly pepped up Dale and both looked set to get on the scoresheet when Felgate again rescued the Magpies.

After the keeper had magnificently parried Welch's point-blank shot, McCartney got in a crucial block on Clarke's goalbound strike from the rebound.

Four minutes from time, Felgate palmed aside a real blockbuster from Cunningham but this proved to be Dale's last throw and, in another incisive Chorley counter-attack on 88 minutes, substitute Danny Queeley teed up Mills, who rocketed a low drive past a motionless Andrews into the bottom corner.

Ultimately, the home side's unquenchable desire won the day but Dale must have left Victory Park wondering just how they failed to score against Chorley for a fourth successive time.

CHORLEY...2

ROSSENDALE UNITED...0