Referee Darren Drysdale has been removed from taking charge of Wanderers' trip to Southend on Saturday after his confrontation with Ipswich’s Alan Judge, the EFL has confirmed.

Drysdale was charged with improper conduct by the Football Association on Wednesday over the Portman Road incident.

The 50-year-old Lincolnshire official appeared to square up to Judge and lean his head into the Republic of Ireland international after the midfielder’s appeal for a penalty had been turned down during Ipswich’s goalless draw with Northampton on Tuesday evening.

Drysdale, who apologised for his actions, has been removed from this weekend’s EFL appointments list and Declan Bourne will now referee Bolton's game at Roots Hall.

Ipswich manager Paul Lambert had called Drysdale’s apology “soft” and asked for the matter to be investigated.

But Judge told the Ipswich website: “Referees have a tough job to do and it was heat of the moment stuff that happens in football.

“The photo makes it look worse than it was and to be honest, the matter was finished with from my end as soon as I walked off the pitch.

“I wasn’t looking for the referee to apologise; I wasn’t looking for him to be charged. There was never going to be a complaint from me and I made that clear.

“Like I said, for me – it was finished with straight away.”

Wanderers boss Ian Evatt also backed Drysdale, saying his behaviour had simply been in the heat of the moment.

“I think Alan Judge has come out and said there was no case to answer,” he said. “It is a passionate game and referees are human. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone has emotion, referees are not immune and we have learned that more than anyone of late, so let’s just move on.”