Keith Alexander was a frustrated man after watching his slip to defeat at the Moss Rose this afternoon.

League leaders Rochdale left with all three points with the only goal of the game midway through the second half.

Here's what the gaffer had to say.

"I wasn't happy with the way we started the game," explained Keith. "We gave the ball away too many times and as a result they enjoyed a lot of possession."

"But to be fair to the lads I didn't think they caused us too many problems despite seeing a lot of the ball."

"As a manager you try and get your instructions out there. But its difficult during the game so its often a case of getting to half time. We did that and had a good chat in the changing room."

"I felt we were much better after the break. We got a lot of good balls into the box but despite having a lot of people up front we couldn't get on the end of them."

"Contrast that with their goal which had a large amount of luck to it. Briany made a good save and it hit Nat Brown in the face I think."

"But their forwards have been scoring and playing perhaps with a bit more freedom. They're also paying a lot more for the likes of Chris O'Grady not to mention £100k to get him. That makes a big difference."

"That said we've matched the league leaders and just come up short. We're playing a lot of the sides at the top and we've another tough one when we head to Meadow Lane on Tuesday. It's no secret we need a win. Nine games without one is a worry. Credit to the fans for sticking with us as they were excellent again today."

"When that win comes it will take a bit of the pressure off everyone. Games against teams around us will be crucial. We just need to get to the end of the season when I think we will only need two or three new faces to make us a lot stronger outfit. And of course strikers will be top of my list."