- Adebisi hits his second of the season
- The Railwaymen make it five unbeaten
- Alex stay 17th in League Two
Crewe Alexandra were held to a draw by battling Rochdale on Saturday.
Rio Adebisi’s second of the season looked set to give The Railwaymen all three points at Mornflake Stadium.
But Jimmy Keohane struck on 81 minutes to salvage a share of the spoils for the rock-bottom visitors.
Crewe finished the game with 10 men after Connor O'Riordan received two yellow cards.
The 14th draw of the season made it five games unbeaten for Crewe, and they stay 17th in League Two.
Manager Lee Bell named a side unchanged from the one that drew at Walsall in midweek.
Rochdale came into the game on the back of a winless eight-game run, in which they’d lost seven and drawn one.
The visitors started on the front foot and forced keeper James Beadle into four saves inside three minutes.
He showed magnificent reflexes to react to Owen Dodgson’s deflected strike. He tipped it onto the bar then blocked Ian Henderson’s follow-up attempt.
Next, Beadle palmed Danny Lloyd’s drive around the post, and then was on hand to gather a tamer strike from Devante Rodney.
Joel Tabiner was narrowly off-target with a direct free-kick after being fouled in Crewe’s first attack, while Lloyd smashed his free-kick into the wall at the other end.
On 34 minutes Dan Agyei broke down the left and pulled the ball back where Tabiner forced a save from keeper Jake Eastwood.
Crewe came into the game more towards the end of the half, and Tariq Uwakwe blazed a volley over after some nice build-up play.
And in stoppage time a superb Tabiner cross from the right was met by Adebisi at the far post but the defender put his header wide from close range.
The hosts knocked the ball around nicely early in the second half, and enjoyed more territory in advanced positions.
On 57 minutes Agyei was alert to intercept a pass from keeper Eastwood and advanced on goal, but the top-scorer dragged his left-footer wide.
Sub Callum Ainey was inches wide from 25 yards after a good run from Uwakwe teed him up, and Elliott Nevitt headed into the keeper’s arms after meeting a cross from the right.
The breakthrough arrived on 71 minutes thanks to a flowing Crewe move which saw Ryan Finnigan send Tabiner down the right, and the teenager stood up a superb cross which was buried by the head of Adebisi.
But the lead only lasted eight minutes. Keohane met a cross from the right and reacted quickest to tuck home after it came back off a post.
Nevitt curled wide after cutting inside, and Agyei lifted an effort over, as the Alex tried to respond.
But when O’Riordan received a second yellow card on 87 minutes, the complexion of the game was changed.
It was backs-to-the-wall stuff at time, and the outstanding Rod McDonald made an incredible last-ditch clearance as Rochdale’s Tahvon Campbell looked certain to score.
Agyei drew a late save from Eastwood on a Crewe counter, but the points were shared.
Crewe (3-5-2): Beadle; O’Riordan, McDonald, Offord; Adebisi, Robertson (Ainley, 55), Finnigan (Griffiths, 83), Tabiner (Sass-Davies, 92), Uwakwe; Agyei, Nevitt.
Subs not used: Richards, Brook, Thomas, Sambou.
Booked: Robertson, O’Riordan.
Rochdale (3-5-2): Eastwood; Mullarkey, Ebanks-Landell, Taylor (Campbell, 88); Lloyd (Seriki, 81), Brierley, Keohane, Odoh (Quigley, 63), Dodgson; Henderson, Rodney (Mellor, 81).
Subs not used: Craven, Graham, Diagouraga.
Booked: Odoh
Referee: Ben Toner.
Attendance: 4,387 (481).