Brian Barry-Murphy felt his Rochdale side “at last got what we deserved” as they ended their winless run with a 2-1 victory at fellow League One strugglers Bristol Rovers

Dale had failed to win their last seven league fixtures, a run that included four score draws and two one-goal defeats.

But they returned to winning ways as Alex Newby scored twice, either side of Luke Leahy’s equaliser, to move Barry-Murphy’s side four points clear of the relegation zone

“At last we got what we deserved,” manager Barry-Murphy said.

“We have suffered some heavy blows recently with late goals costing us, so I am delighted for everyone associated with the club.

“It’s not easy to play the brave way want to when results are poor, but today the lads saw what can happen if we stick to our plans.

“Alex Newby is in his first season of League One football, having come from the (National League), yet he has been one of our most creative players.

“He caused Rovers a lot of problems and we created a number of good chances. They had some too and it is nice to come out on top in a close game for a change.

“This result and performance can give us great heart going forward. We try not to look at the league table too much, but it isn’t easy at times.

“A lot of hard work has gone into this win and hopefully we can build on it.”

Rovers boss Paul Tisdale pulled no punches in his assessment of the game as his side slipped three points behind their opponents.

“We conceded another goal from a set-piece and that is becoming a recurring theme,” he said.

“It is not for lack of work on the training ground or because we haven’t discussed it enough in the dressing room. And it simply has to stop if we are to make progress.

“Both of their goals were soft from my point of view and enough is enough. We have to forget about the frills and do the standard parts of the game much better.

“It seemed we were starting to do that in midweek at Peterborough and it was a solid performance I hoped we could build on. But today we have gone off-piste again and looked wide open at times.

“There is a long road ahead, but we can’t afford to look at it that way. Every result is important and we now have to move on quickly and improve against Oxford United on Tuesday.”