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Mick

Life President
Joined
Oct 28, 2003
Messages
10,935
Oldham have won 4 out of 5 of their last League games at Southend, but we still hold a 14-11 lead in all League matches, with 9 draws. Their form has been exceptional since appointing Richie Wellens as manager just over 2 months ago with 5 wins and 4 draws in the 10 League games since.

Saturday's man in charge will be a familiar figure. It's Charles Breakspear from Walton-on-Thames, a shaven headed clone whose game rarely rises above adequate. Will we get a tragedy or perhaps a comedy. Anyway here is the history:

He has refereed eight Southend matches previously and in the first two he sent off an opposing player. Sadly we only got a defeat and a draw (and subsequent penalty shoot-out defeat) to show for our numerical advantage. The last five we did somewhat better picking up two wins and a three draws and a good number of bookings !

He is in his fifth season as a League referee and, for me, he is one who falls into the "lucky to still be there" category. He had a high card count last year with 165 yellows and 10 reds from 40 games and this season is going the same way with 82 yellows and 5 reds from 23 games.

Those previous matches were, firstly, our 3-1 home defeat to Morecambe in 2013/14. Their sub got a red just 7 minutes after coming on and there was a yellow apiece (Timlin for us) and in 2014/15 he presided over the JPT match at Wimbledon where unusually all four cards (3 yellows and a red) went to the home team.

His next Southend match was his unconvincing performance in 2014/15's 0-0 home draw with Burton - a yellow for Prosser and three of theirs. This match came at the beginning of that dire run of 6 hours football without a goal from either team at Roots Hall.

This was followed by 2015/16 home match against Barnsley which we won 2-1. We also won the bookings 4-2 (Bentley, White, Wordsworth and Piggott) and he gave them a penalty.

Then comes his appearance, as a late and wholly inadequate replacement, at home to Crewe in the same season. This match we drew 1-1 and we smashed them on bookings 5-1 (Coker, Bolger, Wordsworth, Barnett and Worrall). He gave us not one but two penalties. Barnett missed his but Jack Payne put his away for a stoppage time equalizer.

A more recent Southend match was the comfortable 3-0 win at MK Dons early last season when his performance did not attract any adverse criticism (other than his again rather haphazard measuring of defensive wall distances!). A caution for Coker and three of theirs.

Next were the two attempts to get the Bolton match played, the first of which we are still paying the price for in terms of a shocking playing surface. His performance in the eventual game was unimpressive with Ranger and a couple of theirs cautioned.

Finally this season's 3-3 draw at Gillingham, plenty of goals but even more cards with our 4 going to Demetriou, Hendrie, Timlin and Robinson. They only managed 3.

Assisting are Ian Rathbone from the whimsically named Semilong in Northamptonshire, who was also here for that Bolton game mentioned above, and poor non-league referee Stuart Butler from Maidstone. Fourth Official will be Stephen Finch from Southampton.
 
Disgusting challenge on Leonard, definite red for me (regardless of how long left)
 
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