Brian Barry-Murphy spoke of the "ecstatic" mood in the dressing room following Dale's 2-1 win at Boston United in the Emirates FA Cup.
The victory means Dale progress into the Third Round of the historic competition, facing Premier League Newcastle United at the Crown Oil Arena on Saturday 4th January (Kick-Off 12:31pm).
Dale boss Barry-Murphy was left pleased as his side showed "different qualities" against lower league oppositon.
“We are delighted to progress to the next round," he said. "I thought it was going to be a very difficult game and it was everything a cup tie should be.
“We showed a different side of our qualities and the combination of experienced players and young players showed in the ‘never say die’ attitude.
“I am just so happy for the players to have got the win that allows us to go and play one of the biggest clubs in Europe in the next round.
“I don’t think our lads showed any nerves. We looked dangerous on the counter attack and some of our play was controlled, which I thought we could have been a bit more of.
“We controlled in different stages without looking like scoring loads of goals. In the second half they scored which was a great test to see how we come through that, and we managed to regain our composure when it could have been easy to concede again.
“We looked to control our emotions and managed to start building again.
“We have had loads of different tests this season already – on and off the pitch – in terms of losing players and losing games.
“There was a real mature element to our performance in the second half.
“To get the win is great news for everyone at the club and provides us with a great feeling going into a brilliant part of the season."
Stephen Dooley's introduction in the second period proved key, as the attacker was brought down in front of the travelling Dale support, awarding Dale a penalty.
Midfielder Aaron Morley converted the spot-kick to send Dale through into the next round.
Dooley, who has been out of action since picking up an injury against Bolton Wanderers at the beginning October, impressed in the short spell he was on, proving a big boost ahead of a busy festive period.
Barry-Murphy added: “Stephen Dooley coming back onto the pitch was a huge moment for everybody in the squad and to see him involved in the moment that defined the game was huge for everyone.
“He is such a huge influence on the rest of the players.
“The way he plays the game is the way we want to play – with courage and real personality.
“He has only been back training a few days so we probably used him sooner than we would have liked, but I thought the game was calling out for his cool head.
“That was demonstrated in his combination with Luke Matheson who did brilliantly for the penalty and Aaron Morley showed the composure to decide the game.
“I had no doubts about whatsoever because of his personality. It was a difficult game in the middle of the pitch.
“There were a lot of direct balls from Boston coming into our box where we had to be aggressive in our defensive movements.
“Aaron stuck the plan and carried out his instructions to a tee, and at the end of the game he showed great composure to score the winning goal."