Ref Watch: Port Vale (H)

Referee: DAVID ROCK
Assistants: Stephen Wade and Simon Clayton
Fourth Official: Bradley Hall

David Rock is an official we have seen a couple of times at Sincil Bank. He first refereed a Lincoln game in 2014, overseeing our 3-1 defeat away at Woking, with him first visiting Sincil Bank later in the season as we beat Southport 1-0. We saw him for a third time in March 2015, as we drew 1-1 at Wrexham. He didn’t officiate us at all in Chris Moyses’ full season in charge, but in our historic 2016/17 season, he was the referee as we went down away at Dover, losing 2-0. He was also the referee who sent off Sean Raggett early in our 1-0 November win against Wrexham at Sincil Bank.

City after beating Wrexham at the Bank – credit Graham Burrell

Rock joined the Football League referee list in the 2019/20 season but didn’t officiate any Lincoln games. Two seasons ago, the only game that he was in charge of was our 2-0 defeat at Plymouth in the FA Cup, a game in which he booked seven players. He did have two other notable appearances throughout the season. the first was not with Lincoln; he was the referee who was forced to abandon Scunthorpe’s tie with Bradford early in the season because of falling snow. He was also the fourth official the day Szmodics did his swan dive to earn Peterborough an undeserved 3-3 draw, in the final game of the 2020/21 season.

This season we’ve had him once, for the 0-0 draw with Portsmouth back in August. That is one of 13 matches he has officiated in League One, and he appears to be an official who lets a bit go. He’s 40/60 in terms of fouls per game, and 48/60 for fouls awarded per tackle. He’s issued 41 yellows, 3.73 per game, which is fairly average at 28/60, but he does like a penalty – he’s 15/60 for pens per game. He’s awarded three this season, all of them to home team – Sheff Weds, Peterborough and Ipswich.