Despite their dip in form in recent weeks, Rochdale are still in pole position to win the title that gives them automatic promotion back to League Two.

Rochdale and York City have pulled away at the top of the table and it’s looking like the two will battle it out as we now reach the last phase of the season.

It all builds up to an exceptional finish as the two teams meet on the final day of the season.

Neither side managed to secure promotion last season after finishing in the play-off places, but this year the title – and automatic promotion – is firmly within reach for one of them.

With 14 games remaining, The Dale sit on 79 points, just a point behind York City, but with a game in hand. The gap to third place now stands at 11 points, leaving the title race effectively a two-horse race.

Rochdale won seven league games in a row during the first six weeks of 2026, but has since then gone on to draw three of their last four games, allowing York City to catch up.

“We’ll recover the minds, recover our bodies and do what we need to do to get that freshness and conviction ready for the start line of the next game, like it has been all season,” head coach Jimmy McNulty told the club’s official website after their most recent draw at Halifax Town on Tuesday.

York City’s form has been sublime, with the team currently on an eight game winning streak. They have not dropped points since the 17th of January, and their last league defeat came away at Scunthorpe all the way back on the 1st of October.

Rochdale’s success this season has largely been built on defensive solidity. They have the best defensive record in the league, having only conceded 23 goals in 33 games.

York, meanwhile, have impressed going forward, scoring 91 goals – more than any other side in the league, and 29 goals more than their title rivals. Their attacking consistency has kept them within touching distance despite Rochdale’s early-season dominance.

The run-in could prove decisive. Rochdale have seven out of their 13 remaining games away from home, including games at Scunthorpe and Southend, two teams who are both fighting for two of the promotion play-off spots.

The Minstermen have already played most of their on paper difficult matches, but have to play fourth placed Boreham Wood away from home. They will play seven out of their remaining 12 games away from home.

Automatic promotion would see the champions return to the Football League. The runners-up, however, would face the uncertainty of the play-offs – a route that has historically proven unpredictable.

With momentum on York’s side and Rochdale’s defensive resilience still intact, the stage is set for a title race that could hinge on a single moment when the two sides meet on the final day of the season.

Rochdale’s remaining fixtures:

• Aldershot Town (A)
• Brackley Town (H)
• Boston United (H)
• Eastleigh (A)
• Southend United (A)
• Tamworth (H)
• Scunthorpe United (A)
• Sutton United (A)
• Morecambe (H)
• Hartlepool United (A)
• Wealdstone (H)
• Braintree Town (A)
• York City (H)

York City’s remaining fixtures:

• Morecambe (A)
• Boreham Wood (A)
• Eastleigh (H)
• Aldershot Town (A)
• Brackley Town (H)
• Gateshead (A)
• Woking (H)
• Boston United (A)
• Altrincham (H)
• Tamworth (A)
• Yeovil Town (H)
• Rochdale (A)