The Crown Oil Arena takes centre stage this week, beginning with our visit of Shrewsbury Town!
Our visitors picked up their first points of the campaign at the weekend with a victory over Salford City, with Dale able to go level with all three points.
ADMISSION DETAILS
Tickets are on sale via our online ticketing provider Fanbase until kick-off, with supporters able to buy online 24/7 HERE, which is the easiest and quickest way to do so. Your ticket will be saved to your phone, which can then be scanned at the turnstiles.
Click HERE for the ticketing details.
MATCHDAY GUIDE
Our Matchday Guide provides you a detailed look into what you can expect on the day, from Season Ticket Collections to new kiosks.
Click HERE to read through in more detail.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Supporters not at the stadium can watch the game on Sky Sports +, alongside all the EFL matches on Tuesday night.
Otherwise, head to our streaming service to listen to the game via Dale Player. Click HERE to access.
TEAM NEWS
Laurence Maguire, Sam Beckwith and Cian Hayes are all ruled out through injury.
Devante Rodney will also miss the game following his recent injury knock.
Casey Pettit and Will Jenkins remain the long-term absentees.
THE OPPOSITION
Overview – Shrewsbury Town’s ten year stay in League One came to an end in 2025 after finishing rock-bottom on 33 points. The ending to the 2024/25 season dragged them right into trouble with a 15 game winless run between February and April. Their sole season back in League Two was also a struggle, with no victory in their first six league matches. Their inconsistent season took it’s toll across the festive period with four back-to-back defeats, before a managerial change was needed. Cowan, who had recently been promoted with Brackley Town, steered The Shrews away from danger with standout wins against Oldham Athletic and Notts County.
Manager – Gavin Cowan – 45yo, appointed 29th Jan 2026. The former Brackley manager joined midway through last season, with the Shropshire outfit parting ways with Michael Appleton whilst the club were two points above the relegation zone. Cowan’s impact showed in February with five straight wins, ultimately leading the side to a 19th placed finish.
Last Game – Shrewsbury Town 1-0 Salford City (74′ Boyle).
Top League Goalscorer (2026/27) – Josh Davison & Will Boyle (1).
New Signings
Sam Proctor (GK).
Arkell Jude-Boyd (RB).
Byron Pendleton (RB).
Lino Sousa (LB).
Isaac Fletcher (CM).
Jack Price (CM).
Jay Turner-Cooke (CM).
Michael Golding (CM).
Josh Davison (FW).
Joe Gbode (FW).
Kian McMahon-Brown (FW).
PLAYED FOR BOTH
Our skipper joined Shrewsbury following his loan spell with Dale from Wolves in 2019. From there, he spent three years at the blue and yellow outfit, making over 100 appearances before re-joining his current club permanently in 2022.
There’s been a few former players for each side, including Grant Holt, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Niall Canavan.
WE’VE MET BEFORE
Games Played – 55
Rochdale Wins – 27
Draws – 11
Shrewsbury Wins – 17
Most recent matchup – Shrewsbury Town 0-2 Dale (24th August 2021).
First ever matchup – Dale 5-0 Shrewsbury Town (5th September 1950).
OFFICIALS
Referee | Simon Mather.
Assistants | Kevin Mulraine & Paul Newhouse.
Fourth Official | Sebastian Stockbridge.
