The 2004-05 campaign was a season of spectacular defiance and the emergence of a future star for Rochdale as The Dale secured a respectable 9th-place finish in the newly rebranded League Two. Despite being made odds-on favourites for relegation early in the season, the team found form after a poor start, losing only four more league games for the remainder of the campaign. Leading the remarkable turnaround was the prolific, bullish striker Grant Holt, whose crucial 17 goals proved decisive in a season built on sheer grit and renewed unity, anchored by the talented new arrival Rickie Lambert. It was a pivotal year that marked a successful fight for league stability and foreshadowed the profitable sale of their talismanic goalscorer.