Morecambe manager Jim Bentley has refused to criticise his players after they failed to win for the seventh consecutive match on Saturday.

The Shrimps suffered a 2-1 defeat at Rochdale, where goals from Scott Hogan and Ian Henderson turned the game in the hosts' favour after Jack Redshaw had broken the deadlock on 32 minutes.

"Sometimes things go against you when you are struggling, not just decisions from the officials, but the rubs of the green and bounces of the ball in the box," Bentley told reporters.

"Their second goal was the kind of thing we have been crying out for lately - that little bit of luck. But we have just got to keep believing in ourselves, keep plugging away.

"We've played some decent stuff of late and we're not getting steamrolled by anyone, but we've been coming up against the top sides in the division, Burton last week and Rochdale today - both teams up chasing automatic promotion - and we have just come up a little bit short."

Morecambe are now 15th in the League Two table, nine points clear of the relegation zone and nine below the playoffs.