Referee Jeremy Simpson will appear at Spotland on this weekend for the second year running when he takes charge of Saturday’s home game against Doncaster Rovers.

The Carnforth-based PE teacher, who is in his third season on the league list, refereed Dale’s 3-1 defeat of Exeter last November and returned to Spotland on a depressing Good Friday when we went down 3-0 to Southend.

Mr Simpson was also in the middle for Dale’s 3-2 home loss to Exeter in December 2012.

‘Jez’ finished his non-league career by refereeing the 2011/12 Blue Square Premier League play-off final between York and Luton at Wembley.

Prior to his promotion, he was an assistant referee on the Premier League and also a FIFA official, which meant he travelled overseas to ‘line’ at European and international matches.

Jeremy had previously visited Spotland on linesman duties, most notably in 2010/11 when he was on the line for the FA Cup tie against FC United of Manchester and our first game in League One at home to Hartlepool.

This term, he has refereed 13 games, showing 52 yellow cards and five red.

His most recent appointment was Leyton Orient v Coventry at the start of November, while back in August he took charge of Bolton v bury in the Capital One Cup and hilariously awarded Wanderers a controversial injury time penalty that got them back into the tie.

Photo: Action Images

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