New referee for Clarets

This season he as solely operated until now in the two lower divisions and there has certainly been a change in terms of cards. Last season there were numerous games where he handed out one card at the most, although there was the odd six or seven, but this season his average has gone up to over three per game.

To date he has a total of 42 yellow cards in just 13 games and he’s already doubled his red card total from last season to four, and three of them came in the same game between Torquay and Lincoln back in September.

All three of those red cards came in the last eleven minutes of the game and all three; Lee Beevers, Paul Morgan and Alan Marriott were Lincoln players. The only other player he has sent off this season is Southend’s Freddy Eastwood in their 1-1 home draw with Huddersfield. The Essex club appealed but the suspension was extended because the FA considered the appeal to be frivolous, a decision that the Southend chairman said was a nonsense.

Of his 42 yellow cards to date this season, 15 of them have gone to home players and 27 to away players and that is a slightly better balance than last season when just 17 of his 57 yellow cards went to home players against 40 to away players.

He’s a referee I cannot recall ever having seen in action, not even on television, so we are going into the unknown, and let’s face it, it cannot be anything like Tuesday.

Stephen Artis (Norfolk) and Fred Graham (Essex) will be the assistant referees whilst the fourth official duties will be carried out by Steve Creighton (Berkshire).