Darren Handley is the appointed referee for Tuesday evening’s Johnstone’s Paint Trophy fixture against Chesterfield.
Handley was one of four referees to be promoted to officiate in the Football League at the start of this season, having refereed in the Conference for the last six years.So far he has taken charge of three games this season, all of which have been in League Two. He has dished out four yellow cards in each of those matches and is yet to award a penalty this campaign.
The Bolton-born referee will be using the much-talked about vanishing spray for this fixture, with Football League Chief Executive, Shaun Harvey, using the Johnstone’s Paint competition as a means of trialling the recent phenomenon.
37-year-old Handley, who is also a PE teacher, followed in his father’s footsteps when choosing to become a referee. Albert Handley is a well-known official in grassroots football.
Last season, Handley dished out 92 bookings and five red cards in 27 games. The highlight of his career so far came when he was chosen to take charge of last year’s play-off semi-final second leg between Cambridge and Halifax.