We're taking a Friend to Watford

Last updated : 27 November 2007 By Tony Scholes
The last time he refereed a Burnley game was at Wolves in February of this year. He didn't have a particularly bad game but he twice turned down blatant penalties when Wolves players handled in the box. This was just his second Burnley game since he joined the league list in 2003, but his first was an absolute shocker of a performance in the 1-0 home defeat to West Ham in the 2004/05 season.

This will not be his first visit to Vicarage Road this season. He was there for their Carling Cup 1st round tie against Gillingham in which he sent off our old friend Efe Sodje just a few minutes after half time with Watford leading 2-0.

That was Friend's first game of the season and the red card came out again in his next game when he sent off Ipswich's Fabian Wilnis in their 1-1 draw at Plymouth.

He collected another Sodje next, dismissing Reading's Sam in a Carling Cup win at Swansea and since then he's also sent off Jake Buxton of Mansfield in a 3-1 home defeat to Chesterfield, Michael Twiss of Morecambe as they drew 1-1 at home to Rochdale and most recently Filipe Da Costa of Leeds as they slipped out of the Tin of Paint Cup to Bury.

That's six red cards already in just sixteen games, and he's added 48 yellow cards to that. Of those 22 have gone to home players and 28 to away players.

He will be assisted by Brendan Malone (Wiltshire) and Michael McCoy (Kent) whilst Stephen Child (also Kent) will be on duty as the fourth official.

Previous Burnley games:

Season

Opps

V

Res

Y

R

Burnley players carded

a

2004/05

West Ham

h

0-1

3

0

Camara

2006/07

Wolves

a

1-2

2

0

Duff Gudjonsson