Dale’s visit to Sutton United on Saturday will be refereed by BEN ATKINSON.

This will be the first time Mr Atkinson has been in charge of a Dale game, but it is highly unlikely we have ever come across such a highly-qualified official before!

That’s because Mr Atkinson is more accurately Dr Atkinson, a dentist specialising in maxillofacial surgery at Royal London Hospital! He is also a keen and experienced scuba diver and a domestic property developer in Liverpool, where he gained his degree in dentistry and another in molecular physiology. Blimey!

Ben got a mid-season promotion to the National League at the start of 2023 and then six months later he was promoted to the Football League. That was before the referees for Leagues One and Two and the National League were pooled together, so this season he has officiated across those three leagues, as well as the various cup competitions.

His last game was Solihull Moors v Hartlepool five weeks ago and in Ben’s 23 appointments this season he has shown 115 yellow cards and five red cards. Eleven of those yellow cards came in one match – Peterborough v Plymouth in mid-January.

Photo: Action Images via Reuters