Rochdale A.F.C.

1907–1999

Rochdale A.F.C. was formed in 1907. After World War I the Football League was expanded and the club unsuccessfully applied to join. In 1921 Rochdale were included in the new Third Division North, and played their first League game at home against Accrington Stanley on 27 August 1921, winning 6–3. However, this first season ended with the club at the bottom of the League, having to reapply for membership. In 1958, the League was restructured with the two regional Third Division sections being combined into new national Third and Fourth Divisions. In the restructuring, Rochdale secured a spot in the Third Division but were relegated in last place at the end of their first season at this level. The club reached the League Cup final in 1962 led by Tony Collins. This was the first time a club from the bottom league division had reached the final of a major competition – where they lost to Norwich City 4–0 on aggregate. Rochdale had beaten Southampton, Doncaster Rovers, Charlton Athletic, York City, and Blackburn Rovers on their route to the final. The club's first promotion came in 1969, earned by a team largely assembled by manager Bob Stokoe, though it was Stokoe's assistant, Len Richley who steered Rochdale to promotion after Stokoe moved to Carlisle United. In the early stages of the 1969–70 season, Rochdale topped the Third Division table, but the team's form significantly declined around Christmas 1969, and a failure to halt the team's decline led to the…

League

Third Division North (level 3) Runners-up: 1923–24, 1926–27 Fourth Division / League Two (level 4) Promoted: 1968–69, 2009–10, 2013–14 National League (level 5) Play-off winners: 2026 Lancashire Combination Division One Champions: 1910–11, 1911–12 Cup

Football League Cup Runners-up: 1961–62 Lancashire Cup Winners: 1948–49, 1970–71, 2004–05