{"product_id":"9781801507318-into-the-unknown-the-inside-story-of-rochdale-afcs-first-season-in-the-national-league","title":"Into the Unknown","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Inside Story of Rochdale AFC’s First Season in the National League\u003cbr\u003eThis is the story of a club and its fans finding its feet in uncharted territory of non-league football… and the colourful clubs and characters encountered along the way. Including a flat-cap local hero at Oldham; a manager who is best mates with England boss Gareth Southgate; and tales of German efficiency in the Garden of England.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSince 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.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eInto the Unknown\u003c\/i\u003e is the story of a club and its fans finding their 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41602049736801,"sku":"9781801507318","price":16.89,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/orig_28115368.jpg?v=1722325228","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9781801507318-into-the-unknown-the-inside-story-of-rochdale-afcs-first-season-in-the-national-league","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}