Rochdale midfielder Stephen Dooley and goalkeeper Jay Lynch have both signed new one-year contracts with the club.

Northern Irishman Dooley, 29, has made 93 appearances, including 37 last season, since moving to the Crown Oil Arena in 2018.

Lynch, 28, has been at the club for the past two years and earned the starting spot for the final nine matches of last season.

The new deals are a lift for the club after a campaign that culminated in relegation from League One.

Dooley told the club’s website: “I’m delighted that I’ve been asked to stay on for another year.

“We want to try and get back to where we were. We want to kick on and have a much better season.

“It was tough to take last year, especially coming close towards the end when we went on a good run.

“This year, we have such a good team with so many good players, I don’t see why we can’t be challenging near the top.”

Those feelings were echoed by Lynch, who now hopes to go on and become regular first choice under manager Brian Barry-Murphy.

“Ever since missing out on staying up by one point last season, it’s been burning away at myself, and I’m sure it has with the other lads too,” Lynch said.

“I think if we keep the core of the group together, and with a few additions, I do believe that we should be up there challenging for promotion.

“During the two years so far I’ve had to be patient. We’ve had two great goalkeepers on loan from Premier League clubs so it was all about patience.

“My moment came towards the end of the season, which coincided with a good run. I felt like I’d done enough to stay in the team and hopefully I can do enough to stay in the team this year and have a successful season.”