The League One Play-Off Final at Wembley will see referee Robert Jones from Merseyside in the middle.
After refereeing for two years in the National League – and the Women’s Super League One – the beginning of the 2016/17 season saw Robert promoted to the SkyBet Football League.
Robert was last in charge of the Millers in January when Portsmouth were the visitors to the New York Stadium which saw a goal in the last minute of the game from Joe Mattock gave the hosts all three points. Josh Emmanuel was the only player yellow carded during the afternoon.
He was also in the middle earlier in the season, again at the New York Stadium, when, strangely enough, Shrewsbury Town were the visitors. The Millers missed an early penalty with Kieffer Moore’s spot kick being well saved by Shrews’ ‘keeper Dean Henderson. Minutes later Jon Nolan gave the visitors the lead but on the fifty-third minute the Shrews were down to ten men after Abu Ogogo hacked down Shaun Cummings and was sent for an early bath. Richie Towell equalised for the hosts with fifteen minutes to go but in time added on at the end of the game Stefan Payne won the game for the visitors from close range. Apart from the straight red for Ogogo yellow cards went to Richard Wood of the Millers and Town’s Aristote Nsiala.
The first time Robert met the Millers as a referee was in April last season which saw a rare away point for Rotherham with Richie Smallwood scoring on nine minutes at Deepdale. Unfortunately for the Millers Steve May scored four minutes before half-time to give Rochdale a point. Smallwood was the only person to get a yellow card that afternoon.
Of the forty-four games Robert has been in charge of this season he has shown one hundred and twenty-nine yellow cards and eight red cards.
Neil Davies from London and Dan Robathan from Bedfordshire will be running the Wembley lines while Scott Duncan, who hails from Northumberland who was in charge of our play-off game with Scunthorpe at the New York Stadium has been named as the Fourth Official with Reserve Assistant Referee being Shaun Hudson who is from Tyne and Wear.
