Hall takes charge

Hall will always be remembered as the referee that firstly allowed our game at Macclesfield four years ago to go ahead on a flooded pitch and then, once underway, made matters worse when he sent off Andy Cook and allowed Efetorbe Sodje to go unpunished when clearly both should have gone.

He got off to a quiet start this season and kept his cards in his pocket when he took charge of the Sheffield Wednesday v Stoke game but he more than made up for this with his next game, the 2^nd Division fixture between Northampton and Barnsley. This time he issued four yellow cards along with a straight red to Northampton's Ian Sampson.

Last season he only used his red card on six occasions but he handed out 135 yellow cards in 36 games. Those games included Burnley's 3-2 win against Stockport County last December. That game saw Paul Weller booked along with four Stockport players.

Besides sending off Andy Cooke he was also in charge when Cookey last played against Sodje for Burnley in the home game against Crewe. That game was won 1-0 with Andy Cooke scoring his last Burnley goal in his last Burnley appearance.