ROSSENDALE recorded their first league victory of the season last night thanks to veteran striker Jim McCluskie.

The former Morecambe front man scored twice and club captain Simon O'Brien netted the other as United proved too strong for the Cols.

It took Dale just six minutes to get off the mark.

Jerome Fitzgerald swung over a corner and up popped McCluskie to score with a neat finish.

Play became scrappy after that but a second half substitution by assistant boss John Hughes - in temporary charge whilst Micky Graham is away on holiday - changed the course of the game.

John Borland replaced Steve Carling in midfield and it sparked United into life.

Their second arrived on 60 minutes when Fitzgerald drove a free kick into the box for O'Brien to side-foot home.

And they killed the game off five minutes later when substitute Danny Heys was fouled in the corner and Fitzgerald's free kick provided McCluskie with the ammunition to net his second of the night.

Craig Sargeson and Paul Daughtry both missed chances in the closing stages but that didn't take the gloss off an impressive performance.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.