He joined the Football League list at the start of the 2003/04 season and had, in terms of cards, a quiet season with 61 yellow and 3 red cards in 26 games. There were strong suggestions that he was rated and that he was being fast tracked to the top.
He started his second season back in August with a League One game between Tranmere and
That didn’t hold him back and on 18th September, just over a year after his first Football League match, he was referee for the Premiership fixture between
He’s had one more Premiership game since – Middlesbrough v
There’s no doubt he hasn’t got there because of card waving and again this season there are no signs he has gone over the top with 49 yellows and 3 reds in 19 games. The other two red cards both came when Doncaster won 3-1 at
The yellow cards have been distributed evenly with 25 to home players and 24 to away players.
There has been little said about him although he did have a poor game in the recent Lancashire derby between Wigan and
But for us, it will be the first time we have seen Martin Atkinson although he has refereed Crewe previously, that was their 4-1 Carling Cup win against
His assistants at