Ross Joyce will referee Dale’s first home game of the new season against Scunthorpe United on Saturday.

The Middlesbrough official took charge of three Dale matches last term, with two of them ending in a bad way for Niall Canavan.

Niall was sent-off by Mr Joyce in the 2-2 draw at Bristol Rovers in September and then again as we went down 4-0 at Bradford two months later.

It was perhaps just as well that Canavan wasn’t playing when Ross refereed the home game versus Northampton on 1st April!

Fans will remember that match finishing 1-1 after Northampton equalised with virtually the last kick of the game.

Joyce’s only other Dale appointment since he joined the National List in 2015 was our 2-0 defeat at Crewe later that season, in which Bradden Inman scored for The Railwaymen.

At 30-years-old, Ross is one of the EFL’s youngest referees, although he did officiate at Conference level for seven seasons before making the step up.

This culminated in him taking charge of the 2014/15 play-off final between Bristol Rovers and Grimsby in front of over 50,000 fans at Wembley.

Before his promotion he had been on the line for several Dale matches, although one — the 3-2 FA Cup loss to FC United — is a game we would rather forget!

Photo: Action Images

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