Rochdale 1-2 Doncaster Rovers

Rochdale's defeat by Doncaster means their seven-season stay in League One comes to an end

Rochdale have been relegated from League One after being beaten at home by Doncaster Rovers.

Dale needed to better Wigan Athletic's result to stand any chance of taking their survival bid to the final day.

But although Wigan lost to Hull, Dale were undone by Doncaster, despite Matt Done's 83rd-minute goal for the hosts.

Taylor Richards had earlier scored twice for Doncaster either side of half-time to give them victory which ultimately sent Rochdale down.

Dale's run in the third tier ends

In 2010, the club won a first promotion since 1969 only to drop back down to League Two two seasons later, yet they bounced back to the third tier in 2013-14.

The club had remained in League One since that point, sealing an impressive eighth-placed finish in their first season back, with similarly inspired 10th and ninth-placed finishes following.

But Dale's stay in English football's third tier comes to an end following a poor season for Brian Barry-Murphy's side.

Having stayed up during the coronavirus-impacted 2019-20 season, Rochdale have struggled to gain much traction during a 2020-21 campaign further interrupted by the pandemic.

The club have entertained at times this season and at one point in mid-season, you were guaranteed goals in Rochdale's games, with a whopping 47 goals being scored over the course of nine games over the turn of the year.

However, in that period, the club won just one of those games and Barry-Murphy was forced to defend his position in February after their poor form meant they had won just once in 18 home matches.

Dale experienced a brief upturn in form in April, winning three games on the trot, including a 1-0 win against in-form Blackpool, to give themselves hope of survival.

But their better fortunes came too late in the season, as they dropped back to the fourth tier of English football once more.

Rochdale manager Brian Barry-Murphy told BBC Radio Manchester:

"I'm not looking for anyone to blame. In this situation, I feel really privileged to have worked with the group of players I have.

"It's a really challenging season for us in lots of ways, but ultimately I think today is just a day where I feel really disappointed on behalf of the supporters and the players that I haven't been able to get us in a position where we could survive.

"I was convinced we would eventually show our quality and that we would succeed, so it's very disappointing and I feel very responsible for the whole club."

Doncaster boss Andy Butler told BBC Radio Sheffield:

"Overall I'm pleased. The second half became a bit of a basketball game, it was really open. It's been a long time coming for an away win.

"It's unfortunate for Rochdale that they're going down and I wish them well for next season, but it's another party we've spoiled."