Premiership referee at Deepdale

Last updated : 19 December 2003 By Tony Scholes

He was at the Turf for our home game against Bradford City and made very few mistakes in a game that was not too difficult to handle. Bradford hardly came close to competing as the Clarets romped home to an easy 4-0 win without really having to break sweat.

With Bradford not even bothering to tackle he was able to keep his cards in his pocket all afternoon but that is the only occasion this season that he has done that.

He is currently averaging exactly three yellow cards per game this season with 42 from 14 games. There have also been four red cards. Preston had better beware, fifteen of his last eighteen red cards have gone to home team players as he catches up after hitting away teams very hard in the first couple of months of the season.

Somehow I suspect that the game at Preston will be somewhat more difficult to handle than the Bradford game and remember that last season he was in charge when all hell broke loose at Bradford with cards yellow and red galore.

Tomorrow he will be assisted by Russell Booth (Notts) and Andy Garratt (West Midlands).

Previous Burnley games:

Season

Opps

V

Res

Y

R

Burnley players carded

a

2003/04

Bradford City

h

4-0

0

0

a

2002/03

Bradford City

a

2-2

6

2

Cook Papadopoulos Taylor

2000/01

Crystal Palace

h

2-2

1

0

a

1999/2000

Wigan

h

0-0

5

0

Johnrose Thomas

1999/2000

Chesterfield

h

2-1

2

0

Cowan

1998/99

Walsall

a

1-3

4

0

Armstrong Brass Payton

1997/98

Luton

h

1-1

3

0

Cooke

1997/98

Bournemouth

h

2-2

3

0