This season saw the Rovers back in the old Third Division, after their promotion of the previous season, and whilst they realised the same points total of 12 months earlier, no fewer than 16 League games were drawn, and the team finished in a lowly 19th place.

The season began in dramatic style, wherein, although the first game, at home to Reading was lost, the next game at Bristol City was drawn, and the next five fixtures were all won without a goal against the Rovers. This fine run of form had its obvious effects on the League table and by the end of September, the Rovers lay second in the league with only Chesterfield above them.

The first game of October, at Newport County, was lost, but the Rovers bounced back with five points from the next three matches, scoring four times in each of two consecutive home games against Lincoln City and Bristol Rovers. The following month saw the arrival of former England full-back Terry Cooper at Belle Vue, but also the final appearance of old favourite Alan Warboys, who never played again following an injury sustained in the FA Cup against Penrith.

Warboys was a huge influence on the playing staff at Belle Vue, and his absence from the team was surely felt. The period between November/February proved to be a turning point as far as the Rovers' promotion hopes were concerned, with just one win in 15 games, although that run was ended with one of the Rovers' best results of the season, a two-goal success at Millwall. The following match, at Lincoln City, saw the Rovers lose by five clear goals and have two men sent off into the bargain, with the home team having a player dismissed as well.

By now, the Rovers were in the bottom six and unless their results improved, they were likely to be returning to the Fourth Division. The remainder of the season was not a pretty affair, as the Rovers fought a rearguard action to preserve their newly won status. Victories were few, but so thankfully were defeats, and a number of drawn games were enough to avoid the dreaded drop. A point at Walsall in the penultimate game of the season secured the Rovers' League position, and Glynn Snodin marked his selection as the Supporters' Club Player of the Year with two goals in the lat match against Bristol City.

The Cup games generated a great deal of interest, with the Rovers reaching the fourth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 1957, before losing to Norwich City at Carrow Road in a game that they deserved to win. The League Cup saw them lose over two 'legs' to Crystal Palace in the second round, having earlier beaten Chesterfield.

Leading scorers: Dawson 8, Lister 7