The Cumbrians did create chances in the game but the quality of Carlisle born Paul Simpson proved to be the telling difference between the two sides.

Manager Roddy Collins was pleased with the improvement his side showed and said after the game: “We had a lot of good possession and we had two great chances but goals change games. We conceded a goal identical to last Saturday, with a near post corner and that’s an absolute sickener. We have no excuses. It was something we struggled with at the start of last season, but we eventually got it right.

“Things were a lot more positive tonight for me and if you take the goals out of the game we passed the ball better but when you haven’t got (Richie) Foran and (Trevor) Molloy, you miss players of their calibre in the final third.”

Carlisle had a chance as early as the second minute when Brian Wake picked up a Mark Summerbell through ball only to have his shot save by the feet of Dale keeper Neil Edwards.

Rochdale took the lead on 11 minutes when Paul Simpson’s near post corner was headed home unchallenged by Clive Platt.

The impressive Simpson curled a free kick just wide and then latched onto a Paul Connor layoff to volley narrowly over the bar.

But the irrepressible Simpson was not to be denied. With 21 minutes gone, Michael Jack failed to control a ball on the edge of the box, allowing Simpson the time and space to hit a crisp shot across Peter Keen into the bottom corner.

The Cumbrians almost got a goal back two minutes later, when Marc Nixon played a sweet one-two with Wake, but Edwards got down well to turn his shot for a corner.

As Carlisle had their best spell of the half Edwards again denied them, tipping a Nixon shot from 20 yards out over the bar.

Simpson again went close for the visitors on 36 minutes, running through the heart of the Carlisle defence before despatching an exquisite chip just over the bar with Keen stranded.

On 55 minutes Simpson was again provider, a precision through ball putting Paul Connor away only for the big striker to pull his shot tamely wide.

Nixon, markedly growing in confidence, again went close for the Cumbrians after turning well on the edge of the box only to shoot narrowly wide.

Rochdale were now content to soak up late Carlisle pressure, Lee Andrews shooting wildly over the bar from outside the area.

Stuart Whitehead should then have hit the target with a free header after John Burns’ corner had flicked off the head of Dale’s Gareth Griffiths.

Summerbell saw a delicate lob go narrowly over the bar from Birch’s through ball before a thunderous 40 yard effort from Darren Kelly was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Edwards, but it was too little too late for Carlisle.

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