Dale have been boosted by the news that the two remaining players out of contract - Ciaran Toner and Joe Thompson - have signed new contracts with the club keeping them at Spotland for a further season at least.
The signings will come as a massive boost to Dale boss Keith Hill as he prepares for the forthcoming pre-season. Whilst neither of the players hogged the headlines last year, they both did their job in a steady fashion and were vital members of the squad which secured our place in the Play Offs.
By signing the new contracts, it will mean that all uncertainty will be gone as we go into the pre-season. Often pre-season can be tarnished a little for managers as they struggle to know whether a player will be part of his plans or not as he awaits the conclusion to contract talks.
Toner played in 37 of our 46 League games last year and both of our Play Off games. Despite seemingly coming to the club as back up, he did enough to make that midfield berth his own by the end of the season. In addition, he picked up the gong for Goal of the Season for his thunderbolt effort at Aldershot.
Thompson was another player who started the season on the fringes before going on to make around thirty appearances in the League, the bulk of which happened in the second half of the season. He weighed in with five goals last season, including a first ever hat trick at Aldershot.
Both have signed one year deals keeping them at the club till the Summer of 2010.