Into the Unknown: The Inside Story of Rochdale AFC?s First Season in the National League

Since 1921, Rochdale AFC had always competed in the English Football League. Their continued membership - albeit isolated to the bottom two tiers - was a badge of honour in the face of little on-field success. However, in May 2023, the unthinkable happened and Rochdale AFC were relegated out of the Football League for the first time in the club's history.

A nightmare scenario for most football fans, author Chris Fitzgerald decided to embrace Rochdale's newfound non-league status and planned out a season which would see his club compete against the likes of Dorking Wanderers, Ebbsfleet United and Solihull Moors; as well as some other traditional Football League names battling for a return to the '92 club', such as Chesterfield, Hartlepool United, and York City.

Into the Unknown is the story of a club and its fans finding its feet in the uncharted territory of non-league football... and the colourful clubs and characters encountered along the way. There is the flat-cap local hero at Oldham; the manager who is best mates with England boss Gareth Southgate; and tales of German efficiency to the Garden of England.

Author and journalist Chris Fitzgerald was born in Manchester and raised in Rochdale. He has worked for the Press Association and several regional and national newspapers. He now lives in Glasgow, where he has been nominated for Sports News Writer of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards. He supports Rochdale AFC avidly.