Inside 90 minutes the writing was on the wall for them again as Rochdale were three goals up by then and it was not until the last five minutes that County looked remotely likely to get the ball in the back of the Rochdale net.
With such a comfortable cushion to rest on Rochdale did not keep the pace going. Though they could have had a few more goals especially in the second half when Rickie Lambert had chances to make his two goals from the first half into a hat-trick.
The first came on three minutes when Lambert took a free-kick from well outside that angle of the County penalty box and the ball was still rising as it sailed into Kevin Pilkington's net as he lunged across in a vain effort to stop it slipping under the angle of the cross bar and upright.
Lambert was there again nine minutes later turning a cross from the left into the net and Lee Cartwright got number three on 19 minutes as he turned Grant Holt's header into the County net.
There should have been plenty more goals for Rochdale but with the match as good as won some of their urgency wilted away but they had the chances to double or even treble their score.
Gary Jones the Rochdale skipper was the dynamo behind Rochdale's success with Lambert great with his finishing and fellow striker Grant Holt a trifle unlucky not to add to his ever ascending goal total.
County had tightened up their defence when it was too late and Tyrone Berry, out on the left wing began to show Rochdale a thing or two in the second half when he made in-roads into the home defence but his luck was out and so was that of the other strikers and midfielders who tried hard to get something, if only a consolation goal, out of a match which was a bit of a disaster for them.