Sussex referee Carl Brook will take charge of his first League One fixture when Dale travel to Shrewsbury on Saturday.
The 44-year-old, who has been a referee for 30 years, was promoted to the National List this season, but has so far been limited to games in League Two and the EFL Trophy.
Carl’s first appointment at EFL level was in the Trophy when AFC Wimbledon entertained Charlton on 1st September, while his league debut came 11 days later at Cheltenham v Morecambe.
His most recent match was Colchester v Forest Green Rovers on Tuesday night.
Mr Brook ended last season refereeing the National League play-off semi-final between Yeovil and Barnet and a bit of research tells us that in December 2014, he was on the line for Dale’s 4-1 win at Colchester.