Dale’s third league game of the season at Colchester United on Saturday will be refereed by DECLAN BOURNE.

The Nottinghamshire police officer is in his seventh season on the National Group and this will be his tenth Dale appointment and the fifth in the last 18 months.

We last saw Declan at Spotland on Good Friday when he refereed Dale’s 4-2 home defeat to Morecambe.

Earlier last season he was in the middle for the FA Cup fourth qualifying round loss at home to York City, while in April 2025, Declan oversaw the FA Trophy semi-final against Spennymoor Town (both halves). Two months before that, he took charge of our 1-1 draw at Southend United.

Mr Bourne was also at Spotland in December 2022 when he officiated the terrible 4-1 loss to Harrogate Town and in the previous April, Declan refereed a 0-0 home draw versus Swindon Town.

In October 2021, he was the referee at Barrow where a mopping up operation by the Holker Street groundstaff (and Henry Hoover) allowed the game to take place, albeit after a 30-minute delay.

Dale won that match 2-1, as they did at Bristol Rovers in January 2021 in a behind closed doors fixture with the same referee.

Two months before that game, Mr Bourne was at Spotland, where a customary injury-time goal for AFC Wimbledon gave them a 1-0 victory over Brian Barry-Murphy’s hapless Rochdale team.

Saturday will be Declan’s third appointment of the season, with the previous two being Hornchurch v Kidderminster in the National League and Rotherham v York in League Two.

SUMMARY OF PREVIOUS DALE GAMES
Nov 2020 Dale 0 AFC Wimbledon 1
Jan 2021 Bristol Rovers 1 Dale 2
Oct 2021 Barrow 1 Dale 2
Apr 2022 Dale 0 Swindon 0
Dec 2022 Dale 1 Harrogate 4
Feb 2025 Southend 1 Dale 1
Apr 2025 Dale 2 Spennymoor 2 (FA Trophy)
Oct 2025 Dale 1 York 2 (FA Cup)
Apr 2026 Dale 2 Morecambe 4

MATCH STAT
Dale have won three of their six games at Colchester’s Jobserve Community Stadium, having won only three of their 21 visits to The U’s former Layer Road home.

Photo: Action Images via Reuters