ROCHDALE HORNETS have said goodbye to two players, with both Jamie Pye and Paddy Jones retiring from the sport.
Pye, who joined the Hornets from beleaguered Salford Red Devils, did not complete pre-season with Rochdale due to a change in his personal circumstances.
Jones, a new recruit from North Wales Crusaders, decided to retire before the start of the Championship campaign because he was struggling to make the commute from Liverpool, where he works as a fireman.
Meanwhile, Jordan Paga (broken leg), Matty Unsworth (broken ankle), Jordan Andrade (broken arm), and Max Flanagan, Dan Nixon, and Ethan Wood (all concussion) still remain on the sidelines for the Hornets.
Rochdale chairman Andy Mazey has explained why supporters need to be realistic about how the club, which came sixth in League One last year, compares to some of the other sides in the merged Championship, following defeats to Hunslet (42-6) and Whitehaven (20-0).
He said: “The reality is, without three loanees, we would not have had a full team to travel to Whitehaven.
“Overall, we are satisfied with the improvements made on last year and our current position. Having made such a good start to the season (winning their first three), I do understand it raises people’s expectations, but we must stay grounded and consider all factors when we evaluate results and performances.
“While we approach every game to win and that’s non-negotiable at any club I’m involved with, we also have to be realists and can’t escape the fact that sides like Hunslet, who operated as a Championship club last year, with Championship revenues and top end Championship players such as Lee Gaskell and Eddie Battye, whose combined contracts alone equal out entire contract money spend, means we will, at times when not at our best, come up short.
“Nevertheless, supporters can rest assured that everyone is working extremely hard, on and off the pitch, to ensure standards remain high and performance levels are as good as they can be, in what is a more physically demanding Championship competition than League One ever was.
“We are in as good a place as anyone could have reasonably expected right now, both on and off the pitch, despite the circumstances laid out in this communication.
“There are some tough challenges for our boys to face in the weeks ahead, against clubs spending hundreds of thousands more than we do. We therefore all need to stick together and get behind the team.”