Rossendale 2 Brigg Town 3

ROSSENDALE crashed out of the FA Vase in a five-goal thriller which saw three players sent off.

In a game which wasn't bad-tempered, both teams produced commendable football in the horrendous conditions.

The action started as soon as three minutes when Dave Gray, enjoying his best display to date, neatly slotted home.

Two minutes later the first of two penalties given against Steve Bird was blasted high out of the ground.

Brigg drew level through a Simon Roach penalty soon after.

With the first half in the 49th minute the referee astounded the players and fans by dismissing Bird for a second bookable offence after an innocuous challenge on the halfway line.

After four minutes in the second half Borland took a good position in the box only to see the ball stick in the mud. Then a minute later Gray restored the Dale lead when he broke clear and expertly slotted home.

As the game progressed in the tiring conditions, Brigg levelled after 62 minutes through Craig Stones, but Dale refused to be dejected. Keeper Andrews pulled off two super saves, but Dale's 10 men continued to prove the most positive.

However, with four minutes of normal time remaining Dale were reduced to nine men when Fitzgerald was dismissed for alleged foul language.

In the 87th minute, with extra time looking inevitable, the referee amazed the crowd once more when he sent off a Brigg player for a seemingly nothing tackle.

The final injustice to a wholehearted Dale performance saw Brigg launch an attack with 97 minutes showing on the clock, and although the Brigg player appeared two yards offside, the flag stayed down and Stones got his second to see Dale's Vase dreams ended.