Finally, finally, finally, we come to the end of the 2011/2012 season with a look back at the curious case of Simon Hackney.
Position: Winger
Appearances: 2
Goals: 0
Arrived from: Colchester United
Left for: FC Halifax Town
Surely no first-team player has ever gone so long between signing for Dale and making their debut as Hackey, who waited almost a full season before finally featuring in the final two games of the 2011/2012 season.
Born in Stockport, Hackney spent time on the books at Manchester City and Liverpool as a teenager and having eventually started in men's football with Nantwich Town, began to make a name for himself in non-league as a youngster with local team Woodley Sports. After nine goals in 25 appearances from the wing during the first half of the 2004/2005 season, he was taken on trial by Carlisle United and quickly did enough to secure himself a move to the Conference side.
He was handed two appearances in the remainder of the season as the Cumbrians secured a return to the EFL but he quickly set about making himself a key member of the side in League Two, scoring six times in 30 appearances as Paul Simpson's men went straight through the fourth tier, winning promotion to League One for the 2006/2007 campaign.
Hackey enjoyed two and a half more seasons with the Cumbrians in League One and was particularly productive in 2007/2008, scoring eight times in 43 appearances. By this point he was well-known in the lower leagues for being a pacey, technically-gifted winger with a dangerous delivery. He was eventually poached by Colchester United in 2009 after 17 goals in 115 appearances at Brunton Park.
Life down in Essex didn't quite suit Hackney to the same extent though, and he would find the net just once during his 35 appearances for the U's over the next three seasons. He spent an eight game spell on loan at Morecambe in 2009/2010, scoring once, and nine games on loan at Oxford the following season without scoring.
Unsurprisingly then, when the opportunity arose in 2011 to return North and join Rochdale, Hackney would take it, signing a one-year deal with the club and impressing in pre-season, scoring in a win at Southport and performing well in a defeat to Leeds United.
However, he picked up an abdominal strain that saw him miss almost the entire season and he didn't make a league start for the club until the penultimate game of the season, coming off the bench to play 26 minutes in a home defeat to Milton Keynes. Despite the injury, you could see some of Hackney's obvious ability on show here, but it was always going to take some time for him to work his way back to fitness.
He started at Leyton Orient the following week and played 55 minutes before being withdrawn, but having been offered a new deal on a vastly reduced salary, he opted to leave the club and drop into the National League North to join Halifax Town.
That kicked off a rather nomadic spell in non-league for Hackney, as he played four times for the Shaymen, followed by a single game at Hereford, 10 appearances for hometown club Stockport and further spells with Northwich Victoria and Trafford.
Following his retirement, Hackney has started his own fitness business and has shown remarkable bravery and honesty in speaking about the abuse he suffered as a child and the mental health battles that he fought throughout his career and beyond.