Ben Toner will make the short trip over from Darwen to referee Dale’s home game versus Scunthorpe on Saturday.

The official is in his second season on the referees’ list and while this will be his first appointment at the Crown Oil Arena, he was in charge of Dale’s 2-0 defeat at Shrewsbury in March.

A 31-year-old science teacher, Ben had a busy first campaign on the National List, refereeing 28 matches, the majority of them in League One and League Two.

He ended last season at Scunthorpe v Port Vale and then started this term at the same venue as The Iron welcomed Bristol Rovers to League One with a 3-1 win.

That was one of his 19 appointments this season, with the most recent being Notts County v Peterborough in the FA Cup on Sunday.

Those 19 games have produced 65 yellow cards and three red.

Photo: Action Images

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