x

Refwatch Preview: Burton (a)

Dale’s first return fixture of the season at Burton on Boxing Day will be refereed by Bobby Madley.

This will be our second meeting with the Ossett official in the last two months as he was the man in the middle for the JPT tie at home to Bury in October.

The 26-year-old awarded The Shakers a penalty that evening and also sent-off Dale’s Craig Curran and while those decisions were undoubtedly correct, Dale will hope the law of averages comes into play at the Pirelli Stadium.

Mr Madley is in his third season on the league list and this will be his fourth Dale game.

In addition to the Bury match, he refereed the 3-1 home win over Bristol Rovers in February 2011 and the 1-0 loss at Scunthorpe earlier this year.

Bobby has received several important appointments this season, suggesting his ratings from clubs and assessors have been good.

In September he refereed the fiery Nottingham Forest v Derby encounter, while he was recently in charge of Middlesbrough v Wolves.

On Saturday he refereed Blackburn v Brighton and before that game, his season’s totals were 16 games, with 40 yellow cards and three red.

Finally, Bobby’s brother, Andy Madley, is also a Football League referee, who took charge of Dale’s 0-0 draw at Walsall last December and our 3-2 home win over Exeter in April.

What to read next:

Late Drama at Hull: Leeds Held to a Draw After Meslier's Costly Error
Leeds seemed to be cruising to victory after turning the game around in the second half, but this match will be remembered for the error from Meslier that allowed Hull City back into the game, and ultimately cost us another two points on the road.
Hull Awaydaze
This season’s trip to Hull City is on Saturday, with a rare kick off at 3pm. You’ll find the stadium now known as the MKM a mile or so to the west of Hull city centre.
Fatigue or Fortune? Leeds Held to Draw by Resilient Blackburn
It was a disappointing end to the holiday season as Leeds took most of the game to break down a stubborn Blackburn Rovers side, and then allowed our opponents to grab a late equaliser. It won’t be a game that will live long in the memory.
Top of the Table: Leeds finish 2024 at the summit after Stunning Team Goal!
Once again we dominated the possession in an away game, but struggled to make it count. That was before a superb team goal in the 79th minute finally broke through the Derby County defence, and that proved to be enough to ensure that we finish 2024 on top of the Championship table.
Farke Seeks Improvement Despite Comfortable Win in the Fog
Even though we went back to the top of the table Daniel Farke thought we should have won more comfortably, but we were more than good enough to beat a woeful Stoke City. For the third time in 2024 a Leeds win cost an opposing manager his job, after Narcis Pelach was called in to collect his P45 yesterday morning.
Derby Awaydaze
Our first visit to Derby County four five years is at 5.45pm tomorrow, which has of course been dictated by Sky Sports. We’re not famous any more!
Stoke Awaydaze
Our visit to Stoke City is on Boxing Day evening, with kick-off at 8pm, having been put back by our very good friends at Sky Sports.
From Frustration to Relief: Leeds United Equalise in Dramatic Final Moments
We should have been playing against ten men for over half this game, but in the end Leeds had to be content with a point after forcing a very late equaliser against Preston North End.
Preston Awaydaze
Our visit to Deepdale is on Saturday, with a 12.30pm kick off, and once again we’re live on Sky Sports. As the name Preston North End suggests, the stadium is a mile or so to the north of the town centre.
Leeds keep home run going against lively Middlesbrough
This time we were made to work hard for our home win, but two late goals proved to be enough to take the points against Middlesbrough.