x

Refwatch Preview: Leyton O v Dale

Referee Darren Sheldrake will hope for better weather when Dale travel to Leyton Orient on Saturday.

The last time he took charge of one of our matches was at Bristol Rovers in March 2013 when the game was in doubt right up to kick-off due to heavy overnight and morning rain at the Memorial Stadium.

Mr Sheldrake eventually passed the pitch fit, although Dale were left wishing for a postponement after losing 2-1.

Prior to that, our only other match with Darren as the referee was early in the 2009/10 promotion season.

The Surrey-based official refereed Dale’s 2-1 win at Northampton in which Will Buckley scored a spectacular goal from outside the area.

A PE teacher at Teddington School in Middlesex, Mr Sheldrake is in his sixth campaign on the league list and generally referees in League One and League Two, with occasional Championship fixtures thrown in.

One of those was last weekend when he was the man in the middle at Norwich v Birmingham.

Including that match, Darren has refereed five games this season, showing 13 yellow cards and three red.

What to read next:

The Amex Stadium - A Visitors Guide
Our friends at the Brighton & Hove Albion Supporters Club have sent us a very informative guide to having a good visit to the Amex Stadium, at least off the pitch anyway.
Southampton V Liverpool The Verdict
A performance from Saints that veered from one end of the spectrum to the other, but ultimately a battling performance was ruined by all 3 goals being gifted to Liverpool in one shape or form.
Southampton 2 - 3 Liverpool - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
Will Saints Be Cast Adrift At The Bottom Before They Kick A Ball This Weekend
The Premier League table does not make good viewing unless you turn it upside down, Southampton are rock bottom 2 points adrift from the team above and 4 points off Ipswich 4th from bottom, so will that gap be worse before we kick off on Sunday.
Southampton V Liverpool The Preview
Usually the visit of Liverpool to The Dell & St Mary's was something that Saints fans looked forward to in the calendar, it was a game that often threw up a shock result for the home side, but as we go into the latest clash with the Merseyside men, there seems little hope of that this year.
Return Dates Set For Injured Southampton Duo Ramsdale And Bednarek
If you thought that things couldn't get worse for Russell Martin after the defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers, then think again, injuries to two key players in the past fortnight have added to his woes.
Do Southampton Need To Recall Bella-Kotchap For Liverpool Clash
With Jan Bednarek seemingly set to miss his first Premier League game of the season, Saints are struggling for central defenders to take on the League leaders Liverpool at St Mary's, is it time to bring in a player out of the cold.
Does Shea Charles Prove That Russell Martin's Player Judgement is Flawed
There has been a lot of words typed on the internet about Russell Martin and his tactics, but is this just the reason as to why we are doing badly in the Premier League, last season there was a clear evidence that his player selection is not what it should be.
Central Defensive Injury Blow For Southampton
If the next few weeks were going to be tough with the potential absence of goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, then they are now getting much worse with the news that a central defender has been injured in International duty over the weekend.
England England's Number 16
It was a dream England debut for Southampton's Taylor Harwood-Bellis, in front of his future Father in law ex Manchester United & Republic of Ireland legend Roy Keane, not only scoring but also nearly getting an assist.