Referee Craig Pawson will make the short trip from Sheffield to take charge of Dale’s first ever visit to Chesterfield’s b2net Stadium on Saturday.

This will be Mr Pawson’s sixth Dale match since joining the list four years ago, with our visit to Grimsby on the opening day of the 2008/09 season his debut fixture at Football League level.

We last saw him in October 2010 for the 2-1 defeat at Bristol Rovers, his handling of the game drawing criticism from Dale manager Keith Hill.

Hill was unhappy with a penalty awarded to Rovers on the stroke of half-time, although most Dale fans at the game thought the decision was correct.

However, Hilly was unrepentant, saying: “This referee’s performance was sub-standard in a professional industry. I’ll probably get a phone call as a result of my comments, but they are honestly expressed.

“The penalty decision changed the whole complexion of the game. 

“The referee rather favoured Rovers with his decisions. It might have been a penalty, but the linesman, who was in a good position close by, didn’t give it and the referee, who wasn’t in a great position, did.”

Mr Pawson has had a busy season, refereeing 31 games in which he’s shown 95 yellow cards and nine red.

Two of those red cards came in an astonishing pre-Christmas game between Brighton and Burnley, where The Seagulls had two players sent-off in the first 12 minutes.

Craig’s most recent fixture was Bristol City v West Ham in the Championship on Tuesday, while he has already visited Chesterfield this season for their 1-0 win over Bury.

Photo: Action Images

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