2020–21 Rochdale A.F.C. season

The 2020–21 Rochdale A.F.C. season was the club's 114th edition in their history and the seventh consecutive season in EFL League One, Along with League One, the club contested in the FA Cup, EFL Cup and EFL Trophy.

Rochdale

2020–21 season
Chairman	Andrew Kilpatrick
Manager	Brian Barry-Murphy
Stadium	Spotland Stadium
League One	21st (relegated to League Two)
FA Cup	First round
EFL Cup	Second round
EFL Trophy	Group stage
Top goalscorer	League: Stephen Humphrys (11) All: Stephen Humphrys (11)
Home colours Away colours Third colours
← 2019–20 2021–22 →

The season covered from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021.

First-team squad

As of 18 January 2021

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Name	Nat.	Position(s)	Date of birth (Age)	Apps.	Goals	Year signed	Signed from	Transfer fee
Goalkeepers
1	Gavin Bazunu		GK	(2002-02-20) 20 February 2002 (age 23)	20	0	2020	Manchester City	Loan
12	Jay Lynch		GK	(1993-03-31) 31 March 1993 (age 32)	22	0	2019	AFC Fylde	Loan
30	Ben Chalton		GK		0	0	2020	Academy	Trainee
Defenders
2	Ryan McLaughlin		RB/LB/RM	(1994-09-30) 30 September 1994 (age 30)	38	0	2019	Blackpool	Undisclosed
3	Gabriel Osho		CB/RB	(1998-08-14) 14 August 1998 (age 26)	3	0	2021	Luton Town	Loan
4	Jimmy McNulty		CB/LB	(1985-02-13) 13 February 1985 (age 40)	207	4	2015	Bury	Free
5	Paul McShane		CB	(1986-01-06) 6 January 1986 (age 39)	25	1	2019	Free Agent	Free
6	Eoghan O'Connell		CB	(1995-08-13) 13 August 1995 (age 29)	60	2	2019	Bury	Free
15	Haydon Roberts		CB/LB/DM	(2002-05-10) 10 May 2002 (age 22)	19	0	2020	Brighton & Hove Albion	Loan
19	Yeboah Amankwah		CB	(2000-10-19) 19 October 2000 (age 24)	2	0	2020	Manchester City	Loan
32	Joe Dunne		CB/LB	(2001-10-25) 25 October 2001 (age 23)	3	0	2020	Academy	Trainee
Midfielders
7	Stephen Dooley		LM/RM	(1991-10-19) 19 October 1991 (age 33)	82	5	2018	Coleraine	Free
8	Aaron Morley		CM/DM	(2000-02-27) 27 February 2000 (age 25)	76	7	2017	Academy	Trainee
13	Jimmy Keohane		CM/AM/RM/RB	(1991-01-22) 22 January 1991 (age 34)	76	5	2019	Cork City	Undisclosed
14	Oliver Rathbone		CM/DM/LM	(1996-10-10) 10 October 1996 (age 28)	164	13	2015	Manchester United	Free
16	Matt Done		LM/LW/LB	(1988-07-22) 22 July 1988 (age 36)	264	32	2017	Sheffield United	Free
18	Lewis Bradley		CM	(2001-05-29) 29 May 2001 (age 23)	8	0	2019	Academy	Trainee
20	Jimmy Ryan		CM/RM/LM	(1988-09-06) 6 September 1988 (age 36)	50	1	2019	Blackpool	Free
21	Matty Lund		CM/RB/RM	(1990-11-21) 21 November 1990 (age 34)	162	34	2020	Scunthorpe United	Undisclosed
23	Harrison Hopper		CM	(2000-12-24) 24 December 2000 (age 24)	8	0	2019	Academy	Trainee
24	Ethan Brierley		CM		8	0	2020	Academy	Trainee
Forwards
9	Stephen Humphrys		CF/RW/LW	(1997-09-15) 15 September 1997 (age 27)	14	7	2020	Southend United	Free
10	Alex Newby		RW/CF	(1995-11-21) 21 November 1995 (age 29)	29	7	2020	Chorley	Free
11	Jake Beesley		CF	(1996-12-12) 12 December 1996 (age 28)	19	3	2020	Solihull Moors	Undisclosed
17	Fábio Tavares		CF/LW/RW	(2001-01-22) 22 January 2001 (age 24)	39	4	2019	Academy	Trainee
22	Kwadwo Baah		LW/RW	(2001-01-01) 1 January 2001 (age 24)	28	3	2019	Academy	Trainee

Statistics

As of 9 May 2021

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		League One		F.A. Cup		League Cup		League Trophy
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	IRL	Gavin Bazunu	32	0	29+0	0	1+0	0	2+0	0	0+0	0
2	DF	NIR	Ryan McLaughlin	36	0	23+11	0	0+0	0	1+0	0	1+0	0
3	DF	ENG	Tolaji Bola	12	0	9+2	0	1+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
3	DF	ENG	Gabriel Osho	22	1	22+0	1	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
4	DF	SCO	Jimmy McNulty	22	0	9+8	0	1+0	0	1+0	0	3+0	0
5	DF	IRL	Paul McShane	20	0	18+1	0	0+0	0	1+0	0	0+0	0
6	DF	IRL	Eoghan O'Connell	43	2	39+0	1	1+0	0	2+0	1	1+0	0
7	MF	NIR	Stephen Dooley	37	1	16+15	1	0+1	0	1+1	0	2+1	0
8	MF	ENG	Aaron Morley	50	2	39+5	2	1+0	0	2+0	0	2+1	0
9	FW	ENG	Stephen Humphrys	29	11	24+5	11	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
10	FW	ENG	Alex Newby	43	7	27+11	6	1+0	0	2+0	0	0+2	1
11	FW	ENG	Jake Beesley	30	7	27+0	6	1+0	0	0+0	0	2+0	1
12	GK	ENG	Jay Lynch	20	0	17+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	3+0	0
13	MF	IRL	Jimmy Keohane	50	10	40+4	10	1+0	0	2+0	0	2+1	0
14	MF	ENG	Oliver Rathbone	46	3	40+0	3	1+0	0	2+0	0	2+1	0
15	DF	ENG	Haydon Roberts	26	0	24+2	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
16	MF	ENG	Matt Done	41	3	20+17	3	0+0	0	2+0	0	2+0	0
17	FW	POR	Fábio Tavares	18	2	0+12	1	0+1	0	0+2	0	3+0	1
17	MF	EIR	Conor Grant	20	1	16+4	1	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
18	MF	ENG	Lewis Bradley	1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
19	DF	ENG	Yeboah Amankwah	2	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0	1+0	0
19	MF	IRL	Conor Shaughnessy	18	1	14+4	1	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
20	MF	IRL	Jimmy Ryan	17	0	11+3	0	1+0	0	1+1	0	0+0	0
21	MF	NIR	Matty Lund	35	12	28+4	11	1+0	1	1+0	0	1+0	0
22	FW	ENG	Kwadwo Baah	34	3	13+17	3	0+0	0	1+1	0	1+1	0
23	MF	ENG	Harrison Hopper	3	0	0+1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	2+0	0
24	MF	ENG	Ethan Brierley	8	0	1+3	0	0+0	0	0+1	0	3+0	0
27	MF	ENG	Abraham Odoh	2	0	0+2	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
29	FW	WAL	Jack Vale	3	0	0+3	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
32	DF	ENG	Joe Dunne	2	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	1+1	0
33	DF	POL	Kacper Mialkowski	1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+1	0

Goals record

As of 9 May 2021

Rank	No.	Nat.	Po.	Name	League One	FA Cup	League Cup	League Trophy	Total
1	21		CM	Matty Lund	11	1	0	0	12
2	9		CF	Stephen Humphrys	11	0	0	0	11
3	13		AM	Jimmy Keohane	10	0	0	0	10
4	10		CF	Alex Newby	6	0	0	1	7
	11		CF	Jake Beesley	6	0	0	1	7
6	22		CF	Kwadwo Baah	3	0	0	0	3
	14		CM	Oliver Rathbone	3	0	0	0	3
	16		MF	Matt Done	3	0	0	0	3
9	17		CF	Fábio Tavares	1	0	0	1	2
	6		CB	Eoghan O'Connell	1	0	1	0	2
	8		CM	Aaron Morley	2	0	0	0	2
12	7		RM	Stephen Dooley	1	0	0	0	1
	17		MF	Conor Grant	1	0	0	0	1
	19		MF	Connor Shaughnessy	1	0	0	0	1
	3		DF	Gabriel Osho	1	0	0	0	1
Total					61	1	1	3	66

Disciplinary record

As of 9 May 2021

Rank	No.	Nat.	Po.	Name	League One			FA Cup			League Cup			League Trophy			Total
1	21		CM	Matty Lund	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	11	0	0
2	6		CB	Eoghan O'Connell	8	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	10	0	0
3	14		CM	Oliver Rathbone	7	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	9	0	1
4	22		CF	Kwadwo Baah	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0	0
5	2		RB	Ryan McLaughlin	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0	0
6	5		CB	Paul McShane	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	0
7	20		CM	Jimmy Ryan	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0
	7		RM	Stephen Dooley	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	0	0
	11		CF	Jake Beesley	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0
	9		CF	Stephen Humphrys	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0
11	4		DF	Jimmy McNulty	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
	10		CF	Alex Newby	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	0	0
	16		MF	Matt Done	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
	13		MF	Jimmy Keohane	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
15	3		DF	Gabriel Osho	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
	15		CB	Haydon Roberts	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
	23		CM	Harrison Hopper	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0
	1		GK	Gavin Bazunu	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
	19		MF	Connor Shaughnessy	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
	12		GK	Jay Lynch	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Total					62	0	3	0	0	0	2	0	0	6	0	0	70	0	3

Transfers

Transfers in

Date	Pos.	Nat.	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
3 August 2020	CF		Alex Newby	Chorley	Free transfer	[1]
11 September 2020	CF		Stephen Humphrys	Southend United	Undisclosed	[2]
24 September 2020	CF		Jake Beesley	Solihull Moors	Undisclosed	[3]
1 February 2021	CM		Conor Grant	Sheffield Wednesday	Undisclosed	[4]
1 February 2021	DM		Conor Shaughnessy	Leeds United	Free transfer	[5]
26 February 2021	MF		Abraham Odoh	Charlton Athletic	Free transfer	[6]

Loans in

Date	Pos.	Nat.	Name	From	Till	Ref.
25 August 2020	GK		Gavin Bazunu	Manchester City	End of season	[7]
7 September 2020	CB		Yeboah Amankwah	Manchester City	End of season	[8]
8 October 2020	LB		Tolaji Bola	Arsenal	31 January 2021	[9]
19 October 2020	CB		Haydon Roberts	Brighton & Hove Albion	End of season	[10]
21 January 2021	CB		Gabriel Osho	Luton Town	End of season	[11]
1 February 2021	CF		Jack Vale	Blackburn Rovers	End of season	[12]

Loans out

Date	Pos.	Nat.	Name	To	Till	Ref.
3 September 2020	FW		Keaton Mulvey	Mossley	December 2020	[13]
19 September 2020	GK		Bradley Wade	Guiseley	End of season	[14]
26 September 2020	CM		Lewis Bradley	Bradford (Park Avenue)	31 October 2020	[15]

Transfers out

Date	Pos.	Nat.	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
1 July 2020	CF		Calvin Andrew	Unattached	Released	[16]
1 July 2020	CM		Callum Camps	Fleetwood Town	Released	[16][17]
1 July 2020	CF		Matty Gillam	Guiseley	Released	[16][18]
1 July 2020	CF		Ian Henderson	Salford City	Released	[16][19]
1 July 2020	GK		Josh Lillis	Barrow	Released	[16][20]
1 July 2020	RB		Ryan McLaughlin	Unattached	Released	[16]
1 July 2020	CF		Aaron Wilbraham	Unattached	Released	[16]
1 July 2020	DM		Jordan Williams	Blackpool	Released	[16][21]
8 July 2020	RB		John Stewart	Europa Point	Free transfer	[22]
14 September 2020	CF		Morgan Moreland	Ramsbottom United	Free transfer	[23]
1 February 2021	CF		Fabio Tavares	Coventry City	Undisclosed	[24]

Pre-season

Rochdale announced two pre-season friendlies against Atherton Collieries^[25] and Stockport County.^[26]

Atherton Collieries v Rochdale

19 August 2020 Friendly	Atherton Collieries	1–4	Rochdale	Atherton
19:30 BST	Rokka 9' (pen.)	Report	Newby 2', 16' Ryan 6' Morley 61' (pen.)	Stadium: Skuna Stadium Attendance: 0

Stockport County v Rochdale

22 August 2020 Friendly	Stockport County	0–2	Rochdale	Stockport
13:00 BST		Report	Lund 59' Baah 90'	Stadium: Edgeley Park Attendance: 0

Oldham Athletic v Rochdale

25 August 2020 Friendly	Oldham Athletic	0–1	Rochdale	Oldham
13:00 BST		Report	Newby 63'	Stadium: Chapel Road Attendance: 0

Port Vale v Rochdale

29 August 2020 Friendly	Port Vale	2–1	Rochdale	Stoke-on-Trent
15:00 BST	Conlon 45' (pen.), 56' (pen.)	Report	Morley 65' (pen.)	Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 0

Competitions

EFL League One

Main article: 2020–21 EFL League One

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion, qualification or relegation
17	Shrewsbury Town	46	13	15	18	50	57	−7	54
18	Plymouth Argyle	46	14	11	21	53	80	−27	53
19	AFC Wimbledon	46	12	15	19	54	70	−16	51
20	Wigan Athletic	46	13	9	24	54	77	−23	48
21	Rochdale (R)	46	11	14	21	61	78	−17	47	Relegation to EFL League Two
22	Northampton Town (R)	46	11	12	23	41	67	−26	45
23	Swindon Town (R)	46	13	4	29	55	89	−34	43
24	Bristol Rovers (R)	46	10	8	28	40	70	−30	38

Source: EFL Official Website
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Wins; 6) Away goals; 7) Penalty points (sec 9.5); 8) 12-point sending off offences^[27]
(R) Relegated

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
46	11	14	21	61	78	−17	47	4	9	10	27	42	−15	7	5	11	34	36	−2

Last updated: 9 May 2021.
Source: BBC

Results by matchday

Matchday	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45	46
Ground	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	H	A	A	H	A
Result	L	D	L	W	L	L	W	W	D	D	L	L	D	W	L	L	W	L	D	D	D	L	D	L	W	L	L	L	D	D	L	L	L	L	W	D	L	D	L	W	W	W	D	D	L	W
Position	19	21	23	17	18	23	17	15	14	14	16	20	20	17	18	20	16	18	21	20	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	19	18	18	20	23	24	24	22	24	24	24	24	24	22	22	22	21	21	21

Updated to match(es) played on 13 April 2021. Source: 11v11 for league tables and fixtures
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

  Win   Draw   Loss   Postponed

The 2020–21 season fixtures were released on 21 August.^[28]

Swindon Town v Rochdale

12 September 2020 1	Swindon Town	3–1	Rochdale	Swindon
15:00 BST	T. Smith 4' Grant 33' M. Smith 41' Jaiyesimi  46' Pitman  90'	Report	Lund  89' Keohane 90+3'	Stadium: County Ground Attendance: 0 Referee: Alan Young

Rochdale v Portsmouth

20 September 2020 2	Rochdale	0–0	Portsmouth	Rochdale
15:00 BST	McShane  86'	Report	Brown  43' Naylor  51'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Michael Salisbury

Ipswich Town v Rochdale

26 September 2020 3	Ipswich Town	2–0	Rochdale	Ipswich
15:00 BST	Bishop 53' Edwards 59' Nolan  65'	Report	Ryan  8' O'Connell  50'	Stadium: Portman Road Attendance: 0 Referee: John Busby

Rochdale v Fleetwood Town

3 October 2020 4	Rochdale	2–1	Fleetwood Town	Rochdale
15:00 BST	Lund 13' Beesley  39' Tavares 90'	Report	Hill  54' Saunders 77' Evans  90+1'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: James Oldham

Accrington Stanley v Rochdale

10 October 2020 5	Accrington Stanley	2–1	Rochdale	Accrington
15:00 BST	Pritchard 64' Russell 66'	Report	Keohane 54'	Stadium: Crown Ground Attendance: 0 Referee: Scott Oldham

Rochdale v Hull City

17 October 2020 6	Rochdale	0–3	Hull City	Rochdale
15:00 BST	Beesley  67' Lund  81'	Report	Wilks 20', 73' Magennis 75'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Gavin Ward

Burton Albion v Rochdale

20 October 2020 7	Burton Albion	0–1	Rochdale	Burton
19:45 BST	O'Toole  35'	Report	Lund 49' Roberts  50'	Stadium: Pirelli Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Sam Purkiss

Shrewsbury Town v Rochdale

24 October 2020 8	Shrewsbury Town	1–2	Rochdale	Shrewsbury
15:00 BST	Vela  39' Pierre 45+2'  86' Fossey  59'	Report	Rathbone 22' Newby 36'	Stadium: New Meadow Attendance: 0 Referee: Carl Brook

Rochdale v Sunderland

27 October 2020 9	Rochdale	2–2	Sunderland	Rochdale
19:45 GMT	McLaughlin  21' Lund 25', 44' Ryan  63' Rathbone  90+2'	Report	Wyke 15' Wright 40' Sanderson  79'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: James Bell

Rochdale v Bristol Rovers

31 October 2020 10	Rochdale	1–1	Bristol Rovers	Rochdale
15:00 GMT	Newby 25' Rathbone  50' Lund  80' O'Connell  90'	Report	Nicholson 9' Grant  34'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Steve Martin

Oxford United v Rochdale

3 November 2020 11	Oxford United	3–1	Rochdale	Oxford
19:00 GMT	Moore 35', 82' Shodipo 58' Henry  72' Clare  90+5'	Report	Lund 42' (pen.) Ryan  45' Rathbone  56'	Stadium: Kassam Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: David Rock

Charlton Athletic v Rochdale

14 November 2020 P	Charlton Athletic	P–P	Rochdale	London
				Stadium: The Valley
Note: Postponed due to international call-ups for four Charlton Athletic players.

Rochdale v Wimbledon

21 November 2020 12	Rochdale	0–1	Wimbledon	Rochdale
15:00 GMT		Report	Hartigan  30' McLoughlin  72' Chislett 90+2'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Declan Bourne

Rochdale v Northampton Town

24 November 2020 13	Rochdale	1–1	Northampton Town	Rochdale
19:00 GMT	Humphrys 85'	Report	Smith 20' Sowerby  79'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Andy Haines

Plymouth Argyle v Rochdale

1 December 2020 14	Plymouth Argyle	0–4	Rochdale	Plymouth
19:45 GMT		Report	Beesley 3' Morley 23' Keohane 45+12' Humphrys 72'	Stadium: Home Park Attendance: 0 Referee: Will Finnie

Rochdale v Lincoln City

5 December 2020 15	Rochdale	0–2	Lincoln City	Rochdale
15:00 GMT	Lund  54' O'Connell  90+2'	Report	Edun  14' Jones 38' Montsma 68'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Sam Allison

Peterborough United v Rochdale

12 December 2020 16	Peterborough United	4–1	Rochdale	Peterborough
15:00 GMT	Clarke-Harris 5' (pen.), 10', 22' Beevers  36' Thompson 40'  45+1'	Report	Humphrys 9'	Stadium: London Road Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Brett Huxtable

Wigan Athletic v Rochdale

15 December 2020 17	Wigan Athletic	0–5	Rochdale	Wigan
19:00 GMT	Long  37' Perry  45' Tilt  55' James  61'	Report	Baah 4' Lund 19'  60' Dooley  52' 58' Newby 64' (pen.), 90+2'	Stadium: DW Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Graham Salisbury

Rochdale v Gillingham

19 December 2020 18	Rochdale	1–4	Gillingham	Rochdale
13:00 GMT	O'Connell 90+2'  90+4'	Report	McKenzie 9' Akinde 21', 47' (pen.) Ogilvie 45+1'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Ollie Yates

Blackpool v Rochdale

26 December 2020 P	Blackpool	P–P	Rochdale	Blackpool
				Stadium: Bloomfield Road
Note: Postponed due to positive Covid-19 cases.

Rochdale v Crewe Alexandra

29 December 2020 P	Rochdale	P–P	Crewe Alexandra	Rochdale
19:00 GMT				Stadium: Spotland Stadium
Note: Postponed due to positive Covid-19 cases.

Milton Keynes Dons v Rochdale

2 January 2021 P	Milton Keynes Dons	P–P	Rochdale	Milton Keynes
				Stadium: Stadium MK
Note: Postponed due to positive Covid-19 cases.

Rochdale v Crewe Alexandra

9 January 2021 19	Rochdale	3–3	Crewe Alexandra	Rochdale
15:00 GMT	Lund  41' 60', 84' Humphrys 47'	Report	Finney 6', 35' Dale 23'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Andy Haines

Charlton Athletic v Rochdale

12 January 2021 20	Charlton Athletic	4–4	Rochdale	London
19:00 GMT	Aneke 23', 65' Pearce  29'  88' Forster-Caskey 37' Gilbey  40' Schwartz 67' Morgan  84'	Report	Lund 12' Baah 21', 31' Humphrys 42'  42' Bazunu  69'	Stadium: The Valley Attendance: 0 Referee: Trevor Kettle

Rochdale v Wigan Athletic

16 January 2021 21	Rochdale	3–3	Wigan Athletic	Rochdale
15:00 GMT	Humphrys 7', 90+5' McNulty  43' Lund  48' Beesley 58'	Report	Joseph 9' Lang 16' Perry  73' Keane 77'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Robert Madley

Doncaster Rovers v Rochdale

19 January 2021 22	Doncaster Rovers	1–0	Rochdale	Doncaster
19:00 GMT	Taylor 31'	Report	Baah  83'	Stadium: Keepmoat Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Seb Stockbridge

Gillingham v Rochdale

23 January 2021 23	Gillingham	2–2	Rochdale	Gillingham
15:00 GMT	Oliver 43'  64' Akinde 90+3'	Report	Lund  11' Keohane 69', 75' Baah  85'	Stadium: Priestfield Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Christopher Pollard

Rochdale v Oxford United

26 January 2021 24	Rochdale	3–4	Oxford United	Rochdale
19:00 GMT	Done  6' 22' Humphrys 30'  77' Rathbone  48' Lund 64'	Report	Agyei 12' Moore 49' Brannagan  60' Henry 62' Shodipo 90+2'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Ross Joyce

Bristol Rovers v Rochdale

30 January 2021 25	Bristol Rovers	1–2	Rochdale	Bristol
15:00 GMT	Leahy 34'	Report	Newby 16', 64' Dooley  75'	Stadium: Memorial Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Declan Bourne

Rochdale v Charlton Athletic

6 February 2021 26	Rochdale	0–2	Charlton Athletic	Rochdale
15:00 GMT	O'Connell  72'	Report	Aneke 7' Oshilaja 27' Gunter  60'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Thomas Bramall

Rochdale v Milton Keynes Dons

9 February 2021 27	Rochdale	1–4	Milton Keynes Dons	Rochdale
19:00 GMT	O'Connell  30' Lund 39'  65'	Report	O'Riley 5' Jules 55' Fraser 58' Jerome 62'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Carl Boyeson

Wimbledon v Rochdale

13 February 2021 P	Wimbledon	P–P	Rochdale	Wimbledon
				Stadium: Plough Lane
Note: Postponed due to a frozen pitch.

Blackpool v Rochdale

16 February 2021 28	Blackpool	1–0	Rochdale	Blackpool
19:00 GMT	Kaikai 21'	Report		Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 0 Referee: Anthony Backhouse

Rochdale v Plymouth Argyle

20 February 2021 29	Rochdale	0–0	Plymouth Argyle	Rochdale
15:00 GMT	McShane  18' Baah  22' McLaughlin  90'	Report	Opoku  47'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Peter Wright

Northampton Town v Rochdale

23 February 2021 30	Northampton Town	0–0	Rochdale	Northampton
19:00 GMT	Kioso  56' McWilliams  75' Sheehan  90+4'	Report		Stadium: Sixfields Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Kevin Johnson

Rochdale v Burton Albion

27 February 2021 31	Rochdale	0–2	Burton Albion	Rochdale
15:00 GMT	Baah  40' Rathbone  77' O'Connell  90+2'	Report	Hemmings 65' Clare  75' Smith  78' Akins 86'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Marc Edwards

Hull City v Rochdale

2 March 2021 32	Hull City	2–0	Rochdale	Hull
19:00 GMT	Wilks 24' Osho 69' (o.g.) Slater  86'	Report	McShane  72' Shaughnessy  77'	Stadium: KCOM Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: James Bell

Sunderland v Rochdale

6 March 2021 33	Sunderland	2–0	Rochdale	Sunderland
15:00 GMT	Sanderson 7' McFadzean  14' Wyke 35' Jones  45+1'	Report	McLaughlin  6' Baah  58' Newby  90+9'	Stadium: Stadium of Light Attendance: 0 Referee: Ross Joyce

Rochdale v Shrewsbury Town

9 March 2021 34	Rochdale	0–2	Shrewsbury Town	Rochdale
19:00 GMT	McShane  26' Baah  72'	Report	Williams  19' Daniels 55' Vela 64'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Martin Coy

Lincoln City v Rochdale

13 March 2021 35	Lincoln City	1–2	Rochdale	Lincoln
15:00 GMT	Rogers 60'	Report	Rathbone 36' Humphrys 74'	Stadium: Sincil Bank Attendance: 0 Referee: Antony Coggins

Rochdale v Peterborough United

20 March 2021 36	Rochdale	3–3	Peterborough United	Rochdale
15:00 GMT	Humphrys 55' (pen.) Rathbone  58' Beesley 87' Keohane 90' Baah  90+5'	Report	Dembélé 5' Szmodics 45+1' Kent  77' Clarke-Harris 90+3' (pen.)	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: David Rock

Portsmouth v Rochdale

2 April 2021 37	Portsmouth	2–1	Rochdale	Portsmouth
15:00 GMT	Williams 5'  76' Curtis 37'	Report	Keohane  24' Beesley 90+3'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 0 Referee: Lee Swabey

Rochdale v Ipswich Town

6 April 2021 38	Rochdale	0–0	Ipswich Town	Rochdale
15:00 GMT		Report	Harrop  89'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Robert Lewis

Fleetwood Town v Rochdale

10 April 2021 39	Fleetwood Town	1–0	Rochdale	Fleetwood
15:00 GMT	O'Connell 52' (o.g.) Connolly  66'	Report	McLaughlin  54'	Stadium: Highbury Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Robert Madley

Rochdale v Swindon Town

13 April 2021 40	Rochdale	2–1	Swindon Town	Rochdale
19:00 BST	Keohane 11' Grant 64' Osho  74'	Report	Garrick 88'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Sam Allison

Rochdale v Accrington Stanley

17 April 2021 41	Rochdale	3–1	Accrington Stanley	Rochdale
12:30 BST	Keohane 10' McLaughlin  29' Beesley 66'  90+5' Shaughnessy 90+1'	Report	Barclay 13'  46' Smyth  22' Burgess  90'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Scott Oldham

Rochdale v Blackpool

20 April 2021 42	Rochdale	1–0	Blackpool	Rochdale
19:00 BST	Rathbone 69'  90' Lund  70' Lynch  90+4'	Report	Ward  66'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Craig Hicks

Crewe Alexandra v Rochdale

24 April 2021 43	Crewe Alexandra	1–1	Rochdale	Crewe
15:00 BST	Evans  52' Kirk 90'	Report	O'Connell  90' Done 90+7'	Stadium: Gresty Road Attendance: 0 Referee: Andy Haines

Wimbledon v Rochdale

27 April 2021 44	Wimbledon	3–3	Rochdale	Wimbledon
19:00 BST	O'Neill  13' Rudoni 61' Palmer 66' Pigott 90+7'	Report	Beesley 41' Osho 57' Done  71' Keohane 73' McNulty  85' Humphrys  90+3'	Stadium: Plough Lane Attendance: 0 Referee: Carl Brook

Rochdale v Doncaster Rovers

1 May 2021 45	Rochdale	1–2	Doncaster Rovers	Rochdale
15:00 BST	Rathbone  54' Done 83' Keohane  90+3'	Report	Richards 30', 56'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Seb Stockbridge

Milton Keynes Dons v Rochdale

9 May 2021 46	Milton Keynes Dons	0–3	Rochdale	Milton Keynes
12:00 BST	Kasumu  23'	Report	Morley 46' Keohane 50' Humphrys 85'	Stadium: Stadium MK Attendance: 0 Referee: Tim Robinson

FA Cup

Main article: 2020–21 FA Cup

The draw for the first round was made on Monday 26, October.^[29]

  Win   Draw   Loss

Rochdale v Stockport County

7 November 2020 First round	Rochdale	1–2	Stockport County	Rochdale
15:00 GMT	Lund 22'	Report	Rooney 7' Reid 14'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Scott Oldham

EFL Cup

Main article: 2020–21 EFL Cup

  Win   Draw   Loss

The first round draw was made on 18 August, live on Sky Sports, by Paul Merson.^[30] The draw for both the second and third round were confirmed on September 6, live on Sky Sports by Phil Babb.^[31]

Huddersfield Town v Rochdale

5 September 2020 First round	Huddersfield Town	0–1	Rochdale	Huddersfield
15:00 BST		Report	O'Connell 51'	Stadium: The John Smith's Stadium[32] Attendance: 0 Referee: Ben Toner

Rochdale v Sheffield Wednesday

15 September 2020 Second round	Rochdale	0–2	Sheffield Wednesday	Rochdale
19:45 BST	O'Connell  45+1' Rathbone  90+2'	Report	Pelupessy  34' Kachunga 54' Hunt  57' Reach  64' Windass 88'	Stadium: Crown Oil Arena Referee: Seb Stockbridge

EFL Trophy

Main article: 2020–21 EFL Trophy

  Win   Draw   Loss

The regional group stage draw was confirmed on 18 August.^[33]

Pos	Div	Team v t e	Pld	W	PW	PL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	L2	Salford City	3	2	0	0	1	4	7	−3	6	Advance to Round 2
2	ACA	Manchester United U21	3	1	1	0	1	6	4	+2	5
3	L1	Rochdale	3	1	0	1	1	3	3	0	4
4	L2	Morecambe	3	1	0	0	2	5	4	+1	3

Source: EFL.com

Morecambe v Rochdale

8 September 2020 (2020-09-08) Group stage	Morecambe	1–2	Rochdale	Morecambe
19:45 BST	Lavelle 23'  55' O'Sullivan  61'	Report	Tavares 86' Newby 90+3'	Stadium: Mazuma Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Samuel Barrott

Rochdale v Manchester United U21

29 September 2020 Group stage	Rochdale	0–0 (4–5 p)	Manchester United U21	Rochdale
19:45 BST	Lund  27' Done  65' Newby  80' Hopper  85'	Report		Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Martin Coy
	Penalties
	Morley Newby Tavares Keohane Rathbone Hopper		Mejbri McCann Wellens Hansen-Aaroen Elanga Hugill

Rochdale v Salford City

10 November 2020 (2020-11-10) Group stage	Rochdale	1–2	Salford City	Rochdale
19:00 GMT	Beesley 8' Rathbone  80' O'Connell  90+6'	Report	Andrade 53' Golden  57' Dieseruvwe 82' (pen.) Burgess  90+4'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Robert Madley