In a dramatic finish to this keenly-contested 'derby', Rossendale grabbed an equaliser from the penalty spot in the fourth minute of added time to leave both teams still unbeaten after three matches.

It would have been tough on the Dale to have left Chorley with nothing to show for a feisty second-half display which had the Magpies on the back foot for lengthy spells.

But until the dying seconds Chorley's excellent back-four had stood firm and in the end the home side were left to rue the earlier chances to go two up which were not taken.

In a lively opening, Magpies' keeper Phil Priestley denied Neil Zarac at close range before Dale had an escape when David Moore just failed to connect with Phil Cooney's raking low cross right in front of goal.

Lee Bracey then pulled off a superb reflex save to tip over Moore's point-blank header and Danny Nolan saw a deft header clip the Rossendale post.

However, Nolan had better luck in the 45th minute, slipping the ball past Bracey at the second attempt following a crafty flick-on by Moore in a crowded penalty area.

After the interval, Nolan freed Moore through the middle but his finish was fired tamely straight at Bracey and later Eddie Stanford was inches away from turning in Lee Shillito's inviting ball across the face of goal.

But Dale began increasingly to dominate play in the last half-hour and substitute Mark Drew wastefully blasted a clear chance high over the bar.

Priestley produced a cracking save to turn over Zarac's close-range header from a corner and in the closing stages another Zarac header struck the foot of a post.

With only seconds remaining, the visitors got a lucky break when Shillito unaccountably raised his hand high to intercept a cross into the Chorley box and Zarac stepped up to squeeze his penalty beneath the diving Priestley.

l The Stags take on FC United at Dark Lane this afternoon.