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Rochdale have appointed former Morecambe boss Jim Bentley as manager on a two-year deal.

The 46-year-old replaces Robbie Stockdale, who was sacked on 18 August after the League Two club lost their first four matches of the season.

Bentley has been without a club since he was dismissed by National League North side AFC Fylde in March.

His first game in charge will be Tuesday's Papa John's Trophy tie at Accrington Stanley.

"The Board and I felt it was really important that we not only recruited a manager that has had proven League Two playing and management experience, but also someone who will be a good cultural fit for our fan-owned and fan-led club, as we all seek to bring us success and get us back up the football league,"

"It has been a speedy but very detailed recruitment process during which we met with several potential interested candidates, all of whom have managed at that level, but we instantly found with Jim that he is going to be a good fit with our club.

"He has managed over 400 games at this level and his values of honesty, transparency, work ethic and most importantly fighting spirit are the exact qualities all of us at Rochdale AFC have shown over the past year and want to show in every competitive fixture and in every team the club puts out."

Bentley was in charge of Morecambe from 2011 until he resigned in October 2019 to take the Fylde job - at the time he was the longest-serving manager in England's top four divisions.

Rochdale are bottom of League Two with just one point from six games, and Bentley's first league fixture in charge will be a trip to Carlisle on 3 September.