One of the Football League’s best-performing younger officials will be in charge of Dale’s final game of the 2013/14 season at Newport on Saturday.

Nottinghamshire referee James Adcock is the man in charge, yet for someone in only his third season in the middle at league level, he has made great strides.

He ended his first campaign in the Football League by refereeing the League Two play-off semi-final between Cheltenham and Torquay, while last season he took charge of Bradford v Burton at the same stage.

All this came after he oversaw the 2011 Blue Square Premier League play-off final between AFC Wimbledon and Luton at the City of Manchester Stadium to round-off his non-league career.

James’ progress continued last term with appointments in the later rounds of the League Cup and FA Cup, something that continued this season when he refereed Southend v Millwall in the third round of the FA Cup, as well as the MK Dons v Wigan third round replay.

Dale haven’t seen Mr Adcock since October 2012 when he was in charge of the 0-0 home draw with Bradford, a game in which we had Bobby Grant sent-off in the first half.

Prior to that, we met the PE teacher three times in 2011/12, but alarmingly lost each time!

The 28-year-old was in charge of our 2-0 home defeat by Leyton Orient in October 2011, the game which saw Gary Jones make his 500th appearance for the club.

We also saw him for another 2-0 loss three months later when two second half goals gave Hartlepool three points at Victoria Park.

Mr Adcock’s third Dale game that term was at Yeovil on Easter Saturday 2012, where we lost 3-1.

So far this season James has refereed 30 matches, showing 99 yellow cards and five red.

He was most recently at Reading v Middlesbrough on Easter Tuesday, three days after he had refereed the crucial Portsmouth v Bristol Rovers game in League Two.

Photo: Action Images

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