Dale’s first league encounter with Halifax for 21 years on Saturday will be refereed by GARY PARSONS.

Based in the New Forest in Hampshire, it will be a Spotland debut and a long trip north for Mr Parsons, who has been refereeing in the National League since the 2017/18 season.

There is a back story to that tenure, though, as he missed the majority of the 2020/21 campaign after being diagnosed with bowel cancer.

Medical experts gave Gary a less than 50% chance of survival, but he remarkably overcame all the obstacles put in his way and refereed Woking v Wealdstone at the end of that season, as explained in this Sky Sports
story: https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12846284/david-brooks-referee-gary
shares-experience-with-fellow-cancer-survivor-after-meeting-at-game

Gary thought that match would be his swansong, but he was kept on for the following season and also refereed in 2022/23, including Halifax’s 1-1 draw at Maidstone last October.
Saturday will be his first appointment of this season.

Photo: Action Images

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