Devante Rodney’s first-half goal cancelled out an early opener from the Cod Army, as Jimmy McNulty fielded 22 players across both halves.
His men fell behind inside the first minute when Ryan Graydon netted with the first attack of the game.
However, Dale responded superbly by having the better of the half from there on.
Rodney took his equaliser exquisitely, bringing down a ball forward from Ethan Ebanks-Landell before beating his defender and clipping an effort over the goalkeeper into the far corner.
Aaron Henry fired a free-kick from 25-yards into the Fleetwood wall before seeing a follow up effort blocked as well.
A clipped ball from Finlay Armstrong found Kairo Mitchell, who chested the ball down well but fired over with his left foot.
Harvey Gilmour released Tarryn Allarakhia on the left side and he teased a defender before flashing a ball across the face goal, as Dale continued to look dangerous.
They twice came within a whisker of taking the lead on the stroke of half-time, only to be denied by the woodwork on both ocassions. First, Armstrong’s cross from deep was met by Gilmour’s looping header, which cannoned off the face of the crossbar, before Connor McBride did the same with the rebound.
There were nine changes at the break, with second-year scholar Corey Edwards seeing a powerful effort blocked shortly after the interval.
Goalkeeper Brad Kelly, making his first appearance since a knee injury that had kept him out since December, made a good stop to deny Ryan Broom.
The hosts fired a couple of efforts target, as did Ian Henderson, who had been found Ryan East, but that was that in terms of chances, in what was another good run out for McNulty’s side.
First-half XI | McNicholas, Armstrong, Ebanks-Landell, Burgess, Allarakhia, Gilmour, Henry, Trialist A, McBride, Rodney, Mitchell.
Second-half XI | B Kelly, Armstrong (60’ Adebayo-Rowling), Ebanks-Landell (60’ Ferguson), Gordon, Beckwith, East, Edwards, Trialist B, Trialist C, Barlow, Henderson.
