MATCH REACTION: Hill slams red-card referee

Dale saw midfielder Joe Rafferty dismissed towards the end of the first half after collecting two yellow cards for fouls on Brad Inman and Marcus Maddison.

And seven minutes into the second half Dale’s Donal McDermott was shown a straight red card for a foul on Posh skipper Jack Baldwin. Baldwin was later sent off himself after collecting two second-half yellow cards.

But Hill felt the damage had been done by then. Dale also felt they should have had a first-half penalty when Baldwin appeared to trip Jamie Allen.

“I felt embarrassed for the Football League referee’s association today,” Hill stated. “The refereeing in League One this season has not been good enough and we saw another example today.

“We didn’t get treated well by the referee and it made a hard enough game even more difficult.

“The referee was quick to show a yellow card to Joe early in the match, but he let similar challenges go without the same punishment.

“And the incident with Donal looked far worse than it actually was. Again the referee was quick to reach for his cards. I’ve no problem with Peterborough’s conduct, but we didn’t have a lot go in our favour.

“It’s a shame for my players and our fans who gave everything again, but playing nine against 11 for so long is tough. We actually played very well given the circumstances, but we’ve not been given a fair chance in the game.

“I’ll be having my usual chat with David Allison (Football League referee chief). I’ve never been banned for comments after a game a

Rochdale travelled to Posh with a defensive injury crisis so bad, two strikers started the game as full-backs.