Dowd has the whistle

Last updated : 24 August 2007 By Tony Scholes
Phil Dowd's the man, and for the second successive Saturday that means a Stoke-on-Trent referee following Tony Bates at Scunthorpe last week. He's another of our top referees, along with Styles, who is constantly under attack from Andy Gray on Sky television, but he's a referee who hasn't caused us too many problems down the years.

That's not just down to results, although only one defeat in eleven games isn't bad, he's generally refereed the games well enough and my only poor recollection is a game against West Ham in 2005 when a couple of decisions proved costly. Having said that, the one defeat was the 7-4 throw one in against Watford in 2004.

Dowd isn't over eager with his cards. Last season he yellow carded 99 players in 33 games, an average of three per game. Of those yellow cards 42 went to home team players and 57 to away team players. To add to that there were three red cards. Two of them came in the same game, he sent off both Tugay and Hossam Ghaly as Blackburn and Spurs drew 1-1 at Ewood.

That was in November 2006, and just nine days later he sent off Hayden Foxe as Burnley beat Leeds 2-1 at the Turf. That remains his last red card. This will be his third game of the season, and in the previous two he's handed out eight yellow cards, five in the Premier League game between Arsenal and Fulham and three as Chesterfield played Stockport in League Two.

One of his assistant referees tomorrow, Rob Martin from South Yorkshire, and fourth official Steve Bratt (West Midlands), a Football League referee himself, were both in those roles for that Leeds game last season. Making up the team this time is Mick McDonough (Tyne & Wear).

Previous Burnley games:

Season

Opps

V

Res

Y

R

Burnley players carded

a

2006/07

Leeds

h

2-1

3

1

Hyde

2005/06

Hull

h

1-0

3

0

Harley

2004/05

Derby

a

1-1

4

0

Grant Valois

2004/05

Bournemouth

h

2-0

4

0

McGreal Sinclair

2004/05

Leeds

a

2-1

4

0

Duff Sinclair

2003/04

West Ham

h

1-1

5

0

Blake Branch West

2002/03

Watford

h

4-7

2

0

McGregor

2002/03

Fulham

h

3-0

2

1

I Moore

2001/02

Sheffield Wed

a

2-0

5

0

A Moore Briscoe West Weller

2000/01

Gillingham

a

0-0

1

0

Branch

2000/01

Grimsby

h

1-1

1

0

.

1998/99

Lincoln

h

1-1

5

1

Ford Reid