Since then, the club has remained in the bottom two professional divisions of English Football until they were relegated to the National League at the end of the 2022–23 season.
In 1921 Rochdale was recommended to be 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.
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.
In the early stages of the 1969–70 season, Rochdale topped the Division Three table, sparking hopes of a second successive promotion.
The following three seasons saw the club finish in the lower reaches of the Division Three table, narrowly avoiding relegation each time.
Keith Hill, initially appointed as caretaker-manager in December 2006, became arguably the club's most successful manager to date.
Eyre's spell at Spotland did not last long, as he was sacked after 27 competitive games in charge, the team having recorded just 4 league wins in this time.
On 24 January 2012, Accrington Stanley's John Coleman was confirmed manager as the successor to Steve Eyre and left his club where he had been for more than a decade.