Miller is cup referee

Last updated : 24 August 2004 By Tony Scholes

If the assessor was doing his job then it will be some considerable time before this particular official is allowed to referee at this level again. You could say it was a nightmare debut,” is what we had to say about his first ever Burnley game against West Brom last season.

He lost control very early in the game when he took no action against Sean Gregan following an awful challenge on Tony Grant and finally left the ground with the criticism from both managers ringing in his ears.

He sent Rob Hulse in what was his first ever game at that level. He has only been handed one more since which does suggest the assessor was far from impressed with his efforts.

It was the last time he used his red card and in fact although he is a referee with a reputation for getting a lot of decisions wrong he doesn’t use his cards too often.

Last season he handed out just 60 yellow cards and 4 red cards in 27 games and that is definitely below the average.

This season has seen him in charge of the League One games at Blackpool (against Stockport) and Hull (v Oldham) and there have been just two yellow cards in each of them.

He will hopefully turn in a better performance tonight when he will be assisted by Chris Brumwell from Cumbria and Bob Lockhart from Tyne & Wear.

Previous Burnley games:

Season

Opps

V

Res

Y

R

Burnley players carded

a

2003/04

West Brom

h

1-1

4

1

Grant McGregor