Josh Falkingham delighted as Harrogate Town deal with disappointment the right way to win 4-1 at Rochdale

Dale took a seventh-minute lead against the run of play through James Bell, knowing victory a home win would move them above Harrogate at the bottom of League Two.

But the Sulphurites held their nerve and came out winners.

"It was a tough start," acknowledged Falkingham. "Their goal was against the run of play. We kept calm, we kept cool, knowing we'd started the game quite well.

"We are going to suffer disappointments and throughout this season if we're totally honest we haven't properly dealt with those moments. You've got to take a deep breath – we were playing well.

"Lads could quite easily have gone under. We were at this stadium last season and threw a 3-1 lead away (to draw 3-3)."

The previous weekend’s FA Cup exit at Hartlepool United added to the pressure.

"It's constantly on your mind,” admitted Falkingham, “all week you're playing it through knowing you're going into a really big game.”

The victory, which featured two goals and an assist for Luke Armstrong, put a five-point gap between Harrogate and the relegation zone.

"We have been really positive in the camp," insisted Falkingham. "It's been difficult but you have to be positive.

"We've been on a run of performances where we feel results could have been stronger but on Saturday we definitely backed up the performance with a result.

"Our record away from home is nowhere near good enough and the pressure was on."