The writing has been on the wall for some time at the Crown Oil Arena. But, after relegation to the National League was confirmed last week Rochdale AFC went out with a bang, beating Sutton United 4-1 at home today (April 29).
For a club dropping down into the Football League for the first time in 102-years the mood outside the ground was a generally good one with cries of 'Dale, Dale' ringing down Sandy Lane. Many had accepted the club's fate a long time ago and were just happy for the season to come to an end while others will love nothing more than spending a Saturday watching their local team, whatever the league.
Just over three years ago Rochdale were playing in League 1 and had taken Premier League Newcastle to an FA Cup replay. But, this has been a season as torrid as they come with off-field issues plaguing the club the past few years.
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"It's been s*** basically," Colin Cavanah, chair of the Dale Supporters Trust, told the Manchester Evening News before kick-off. "We've been the worst team in the Football League for large parts of this season. It started badly and didn't get any better and we knew there and then it could be relegation.
"But, it's not stopped it (relegation) hurting even if from Christmas it was inevitable. Just two years ago we were in League One and that was a massive badge of honour for us.
"The off-field problems over the last few years have been bad and we're suffering a hangover from that I think, fighting off the hostile take over, but that's not an excuse. And people really came together during that, collecting money outside the ground."
The experience of Oldham Athletic having been relegated themselves to the National League last season shows next season for Rochdale AFC will not be an easy one. "It took Stockport nearly 15 years to get out of that league and teams much bigger than us have been down there for a long time, it's a massive step into the unknown for us."
Given what's happened to some other Greater Manchester clubs in recent years, especially Bury FC, Colin is just happy Rochdale haven't quite faced those kind of perils. "Our football club has provided positive news for the town over the last few decades, when Rochdale was in the news for all the wrong reasons.
"I'm not sure how it's going to go today, I'm not sure I even feel like celebrating if we score. But we and the whole town love this club, what else are we going to do with our Saturday's?"
Wayne, who has been watching Rochdale since the early 70s and remembers relegation to the them fourth division in 1974, said: "It's a very sad day to be honest." However, like many others rushing to the turnstiles spoken to dropping out of the Football League won't affect their affection to the team.
"It's definitely not the end for us, there are bigger teams than us who this has happened to. We are a strong set of fans who really care about the club. The club's definitely got to reinvent itself, in a similar way to Macclesfield but if you love the club as so many do it's yours and you will still keep coming back.
"The heart of this club is definitely still strong. We will fight for it there's no doubt about that."
A pitch invasion followed today's thumping victory with some fans obviously keen to voice their frustrations after an agonising season. The club addressed this after the game, posting: "The decision for the players not to return to show their appreciation for the fans' support over the season was made on safety grounds, following the pitch invasion after full-time.
"The players did come back out, after the majority of supporters had left, to see their families and friends. We again thank you for your continued support throughout this season."
Rochdale still have a trip to Harrogate Town on May 8 to salvage some pride from the season, but unfortunately bottom place is the best they can do. Dale will join neighbours Oldham Athletic next season giving fans a local derby to look forward to, if that can soften the blow of the first non-league Football at Sandy Lane for 102-years.
For more of today's top stories click here.
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