Atkinson is cup referee

He's previously refereed three Burnley games and we've been thankful to get them played. In 2005 the lights went out at Crewe and then almost two years later he called off the home game against Norwich when he said the ball wouldn't bounce in one area of the pitch. It was a decision that neither Steve Cotterill nor Peter Grant (the Norwich manager) agreed with.

He refereed that Norwich game later in the season and, as was the case with the two previous games, he caused us no undue problems.

Atkinson is not the Premier League's most demonstrative referee, and certainly doesn't scare Harry Redknapp in the way Steve Tanner does. This season in 19 games he's handed out 55 yellow cards and four red cards.

Those red cards have all come when he's refereed in the Championship, and he's only done two games in our league. At Deepdale he sent off both Chris Iwelumo and Wayne Hennessey in Wolves' 3-1 win over Preston. He also dismissed Mick McCarthy for applauding him. Wolves appealed the Iwelumo card but failed to get it overturned.

More recently he sent off Cardiff's Stephen McPhail and Swansea's Leon Britton as the teams fought out a 2-2 draw at the Liberty Stadium. Incredibly the FAW didn't receive any ridiculous appeals. Of those yellow cards, 24 have gone to home team players and 31 to away team players.

It will be his first game at White Hart Lane since March 2007 but he has refereed Spurs twice this season, in their away games against Middlesbrough (lost 2-1) and Arsenal (4-4).

He will be assisted tomorrow night by Phil Sharp (Hertfordshire) and Mike Mullarkey (Devon) whilst there will be a well known face for Burnley fans on the touchline where Bolton based Premier League referee Lee Mason will be acting as fourth official.

Previous Burnley games:

Season	Opps	V	Res	Y	R	Burnley players carded
a
2004/05	Crewe	a	1-1	1	0	Whittingham
2004/05	Sheffield Utd	a	1-2	2	0	Cahill
2006/07	Norwich	h	2-0	2	0	Caldwell