City 1, Rochdale 2

CITY unveiled their #bethedifference marketing campaign on Saturday to remind everyone at Valley Parade that they had a part to play.

It was a rallying call for the home crowd, urging them to get involved and have an influence on proceedings right through to the final kick.

What the club's powers-that-be never had in mind when launching the appeal was that someone else would appear to take their words to heart – referee Gavin Ward.

Short of posting a Twitter selfie with a #bethedifference calling card, the Surrey official could not have had more of a central role in the afternoon.

I hate writing ref-bashing reports because it inevitably smacks of sour grapes. You don't tend to hammer the men in black after a win.

And the standard of officiating at City games this season has generally been good. There haven't been too many Deadman or Drysdale-esque horror stories to recount.

But Ward was sadly the exception; a referee clearly hell-bent on showing that he would not be influenced by the crowd or the atmosphere. In short, he was determined to be the one who would make sure that the volume of fans made no difference whatsoever.

He could not be fingered directly for either Rochdale goal but his influence was writ large over both of them.

Nobody will argue that Ward was right to give a penalty when Jordan Pickford caught Matty Done in the area.

Billy Knott's misplaced pass on the halfway line was picked up by Peter Vincenti, who carved open the home defence to send Done free on goal. Pickford's slight hesitation gave the striker the advantage and he went tumbling over the keeper's outstretched legs.

It's a foul all day long. But to then compound the punishment by bringing out the red card was a nonsense.

The letter of the law states that denying a "goal-scoring opportunity" is cause for straight dismissal. Fair enough.

But Done's touch wide of the lunging Pickford had taken the ball away from goal and out of play. Not only that but there were two claret and amber shirts clearly in view protecting the keeper-less net.

Compare and contrast with the Leeds penalty at Bolton. Anyone watching the Football League highlights on Saturday night would have seen goalkeeper Andy Lonergan commit the same offence in almost identical circumstances – and stay on the field.

Rochdale's winner in the last knockings of added time could be put down to tired bodies and minds in the home ranks. Having worked so hard and for so long with a man down on another gluepot of a pitch, it was maybe one penalty-area battle too many.

But again, Phil Parkinson pointed to the decision to give the free-kick which led to the goal. There didn't appear too much wrong with Alan Sheehan's challenge in the first place.

Ward thought otherwise, as he seemed to about most things in a game when he was more than happy to go against the flow.

So City's proud unbeaten two-month run was brought to an unsatisfying, teeth-gnashing conclusion, although I'm not sure that's the last we'll hear of it.

Parkinson insisted on watching the DVD incident of the sending-off before addressing the press after the game – and then proceeded to tear a strip off the referee's efforts.

He was saying what the rest of Valley Parade were thinking – and is more than likely to pay the price for it. Don't forget, you're not allowed to criticise, even when the evidence clearly demonstrates there is good enough reason.

Anyway, that's too much taken up with one man's shortcomings when we should be praising the sterling efforts of the City ten.

When the bitter disappointment of another home defeat fades away, the immense character and determination on display can be held up as an example of the growing quality and togetherness of this team.

Managers will routinely say that playing against ten men is not the cakewalk that everyone expects. But to soldier on for all bar the first 12 minutes with a man down – and on such an unforgiving surface – is a huge credit to the fitness and fortitude of Parkinson's squad.

Make no bones about it. City's depleted numbers had been the better team, whatever the scoreline.

Dale boss Keith Hill virtually admitted as much during his honest appraisal. His side had been through a proper work-out.

The visitors got away with missing the penalty as Ian Henderson's attempted 'Panenka' came back off the bar.

He did have the presence of mind to duck the rebound and avoid a second touch, allowing Vincenti to follow in and fire it home as City were caught on their heels.

But the sense of injustice at losing Pickford and falling behind only served to inspire the Bantams.

Parkinson kept it positive by sticking with two up front. Andy Halliday was sacrificed from midfield but Jon Stead and James Hanson were left to maraud among the blue ranks – and how they relished it.

Hill was full of praise for the way City's front two gave his back four a working over. The importance of securing Stead for the rest of the season – and maybe, should we dare to dream, the play-offs – was underlined once more with another text-book afternoon of hold-up play and how to get team-mates involved.

He took his tally to five goals in 15 appearances with the equaliser. A City corner was returned to taker Filipe Morais, whose deep cross was headed on first by Hanson, then Sheehan and finally buried from close range by Stead.

The dream script pointed to a famous comeback victory and there were certainly chances. Knott was inches away from extending his scoring streak, Stead was denied from an angle by keeper Josh Lillis and Hanson twice headed over from good positions.

Apart from a Done cross-shot that flashed past the far post, Ben Williams had little to do on his first City league outing.

A point was the least they deserved for overcoming the numerical odds for so long. But then, for the third time in six games, those extra minutes at the end proved City's undoing.

Michael Rose pumped the ball into the box, where it was flicked up in the air for Andrew to climb over Stephen Darby and steer inside the post.

Attendance: 13,571

City v Rochdale picture gallery