The period between 1957/59 was as traumatic a period as has ever befallen this club. For during this time, the Rovers suffered two successive relegation seasons, together with all the pressures and upsets that follow such events. The 1956/57 season had given little indication of what was to come over the next few months and, although the Rovers were unable to strengthen their first team squad to any great degree, they could not have been expected to forsee the calamities that were about to confront them.

The 1957/58 season began in disappointing fashion, whereupon only one of the opening seven League games was won. All the rest were lost, with the Rovers failing to score in four of them. The worst of these defeats came at Middlesborough, where the home team scored five times without reply, yet the Rovers ended their bad run by beating the same opposition 3-2 in the return fixture at Belle Vue. A point was well won at Bristol City, before the Rovers conceded five goals for the second time in a month, at Liverpool.

A reasonably successful run of 10 games, which included only three defeats, provided a clutch of much needed points, before the Rovers created a little bit of football history by selling their goalkeeper to Manchester United for what amounted to a world record fee for a player in that position. Harry Gregg had been one of the Team Manager Peter Doherty's astute Irish signings and the Rovers made a handsome profit on that transaction. Before his departure, Gregg helped Rovers draw 1-1 when visiting champions-to-be West Ham United at Upton Park, Eddie McMorran scored our goal.

Rotherham United were beaten at Belle Vue four days before Christmas, but this proved to be the Rovers' last league win for six weeks, during which time they lost the services of Doherty, who chose to resign his position in mid-January. No official reasons were offered for his decision, but there was obviously strife behind the scenes as the Club Secretary and one of the Directors followed his example shortly afterwards.

Doherty subsequently joined Bristol City and when his team visited Belle Vue two weeks later, they were beaten by the odd goal in three. The remainder of the season was an unmitigated disaster. The rest of the games provided just one victory against a number of heavy defeats, not least the visit of Fulham to Belle Vue, where a certain Jimmy Hill notched five goals for the visitors. Despite their horrendous form, the Rovers' future was unsure right to the end, but an astonishing sequence of wins by fellow strugglers Lincoln City secured their fate and the Rovers, by finishing next to bottom, brought their Second Division days to a close. They have failed to return in the 31 seasons since.

The Rovers lost at home to Chelsea in the third round of the FA Cup. The First Division side won reasonable comfortably, although the home team contrived to miss a penalty which did not help their cause. Another notable departure form Belle Vue during the course of the season was Bert Tindill, who had been a fixture in the Rovers first team for many years. He remains on of a select band of players to have made over 400 League appearances for the Rovers.

Leading scorers (league) Walker 9, Nicholson 7