Jim’s grateful for Dale’s team effort
JIM Mcnulty issued a message of thanks to everyone connected to Rochdale Football Club for their role in his first full season as head coach.
Mcnulty guided Dale to 11th place in the National League in the club’s first year outside the EFL in more than a century.
Given the fact they were in unchartered waters with ownership and financial issues ongoing in the background, a top half finish represented a healthy outcome.
“My final message is gratitude,” said Mcnulty after the final-day victory at play-off chasing Southend United.
“I’m thankful and that’s what was expressed in the changing room to the team. For the fans all season long who supported us through some tough, tough moments and real dark moments in the mid -stage of the season when we had no players, no money, employees at the club not getting paid – a real struggle for the owners who have tried their best throughout to do everything they can, to commit everything they can to Rochdale Football Club, to keep us afloat and keep the lights on. But the fans were amazing throughout. I’m so thankful for them, so thank you to all of them for their commitment this season and their support – key word, support is everything and and sometimes as a supporter it feels hard to support but ours did all year long.
“I think it’s because what they saw on the pitch they appreciated from an effort point of view and could accept everything thereafter.
“To all my staff this year that helped me from my first year as head coach, truly they’ve been amazing for me. I’m so thankful for them and to the players who’ve been the heartbeat of it all throughout the season.
“They’ve constantly given me that drive to continue to try and help them as much as possible through the adversity that they go through on a football pitch that doesn’t seem that far away from me, so I know what it’s like out there.
“They’ve committed to everything all the way through and to every minute all the way through. That’s why they’ve given a real respectable and competitive showing throughout the season in what could have been a dangerous, dangerous season for us.
“I’ve seen capitulation moments in far better circumstances than ours.”
Dale’s tally of 16 matches won throughout the 2023/24 league season is the highest for the club in the last seven seasons.
You have to go back to the 2016/17 League One campaign, when they won 19 matches, to find a better winning record.
That also extends to the number of defeats, which was the lowest since that campaign.
It was the same for goals scored. Dale’s 69 league goals scored is the highest since the 71 scored in 16/17. Dale have only scored more than 69 goals in a season twice in the last 14 campaigns.
Only six National
League teams lost fewer matches at home than Dale this season. Their tally of just six defeats meant that Dale were unbeaten in almost three of every four games at the Crown Oil Arena.
Three players reached ten goals for the club in Kairo Mitchell (14), Ian Henderson (11) and Tyrese Sinclair (11, ten in the league). Mitchell also recorded the most assists during the season with ten.
In total, 13 different players found the scoresheet for Dale this season. Devante Rodney, Jimmy Keohane and Cian Hayes all ended the campaign on seven apiece.
Ethan Ebanks-landell, Harvey Gilmour and Ryan East were all tied for most appearances on 46 in all competitions. Skipper Ebanks-landell and Gilmour were starters in all of those games, with one of East’s appearances coming from the substitute’s bench.