The Daggers were on course for a point at Spotland after Josh Scott cancelled out an early Rochdale goal before two late strikes won the game for the hosts.
"A 1-1 draw here would have been the perfect tonic for John Still," assistant manager Terry Harris said.
"He had a bad night on Friday and is due to go into hospital for a medical procedure, so he didn't travel.
"The draw would have been good for him but I thought we put on a good show and looked fairly solid against a very good Rochdale team."
Source: Team Talk
Source: Team Talk