Torquay manager Paul Buckle was gracious in defeat and admitted his side had been largely outplayed in a 2-1 defeat at Rochdale.

A brace from Chris Dagnall gave the home side a comfortable win at Spotland, despite Chris Hargreaves getting a consolation goal for the Gulls, but Buckle was adamant his players will be rewarded if they maintain their positive attitude.

"Rochdale are a very good side and we have to give them a lot of credit," he said. "They are a real handful up front and I fully expect them to make the play-offs this season.

"We found it really tough in the first half, but were still in the game after the break because of the chances they had missed in the opening 45 minutes. At 1-0 down I felt there might have been a draw for us, but then we had Chris Robertson off the pitch receiving treatment and that cost us.

"We're having a tough time at the moment. It's not a lack of effort, the effort is there and we've been to some tough places. We've got to remain positive and try to turn the corner next week against Grimsby.

"The squad is under a bit of pressure. We kept the same squad as last year and we trust it, but the bar has been raised and I hope this group can come up to the mark."