Long-serving Football League referee Andy D’Urso will take charge of Dale’s long trip to Gillingham on Saturday.

This is actually the third time Andy has refereed this particular fixture as he was also in the middle for our visits to the Priestfield Stadium in August 1994 and October 1995.

That game in 1994 was only Mr D’Urso’s second as a league referee, but he has since taken charge of around 800 matches at senior level.

These appointments have taken Andy all round the country and when he refereed Newport v Morecambe in February, it meant he had officiated at all 92 of the current Football League and Premier League grounds.

We last saw him at a Dale game 13 months ago when he refereed our 2-1 home defeat of Accrington in which Matty Lund netted two very late goals.

Two months before that Andy was the referee for the dramatic 2-2 draw at Chesterfield, where he awarded Dale a late penalty and sent-off the home side’s Marc Richards for handball on the line.

As already mentioned, Mr D’Urso has been on the referees’ list since 1994/95, with only Scott Mathieson, of the current officials, having longer service.

Andy even spent some time officiating in the Premier League, although the over-riding memory from that experience is of him being surrounded by a group of baying Manchester United players for daring to give a penalty against them at Old Trafford many years ago.

That was in Andy’s formative days as a Premier League referee and although he went on to establish himself at that level and earn a FIFA badge, he returned to the Football League list in 2006.

Nevertheless, Mr D’Urso has continued to receive high profile appointments, including three of the last eight League One play-off finals at Wembley.

He returned to Wembley last March as the referee for Chesterfield v Peterborough in the JPT Final.

Andy was also the man in the middle for bury v Accrington on the final day of the 2008/09 season, allegedly blowing-up early after bury massive invaded the pitch thinking they had won promotion!

Andy’s full Dale record is:

Aug 1994 Gillingham (a) D 1-1

Oct 1995 Gillingham (a) L 0-1

Nov 1996 Barnet (a) L 2-3

Mar 1997 Fulham (a) D 1-1

Apr 1999 Cambridge (a) D 1-1

Apr 2009 Darlington (h) L 0-2

Mar 2010 Shrewsbury (a) W 1-0

Sep 2011 Aldershot (a, CC) L 1-2

Jan 2014 Chesterfield (a) D 2-2

Mar 2014 Accrington (h) W 2-1

So far this season, Andy has refereed 32 matches, showing 94 yellow cards and six red.

His most recent fixture was Brighton v Huddersfield on Tuesday night.

Photo: Action Images

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