Mick
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- Oct 28, 2003
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Head to head League matches with Walsall have not exactly gone measure for measure as we hold a huge lead with 41 wins to their 21 and 17 draws.
Saturday's man in charge should be a familiar figure, unless it's called of by someone more local beforehand. 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. A comedy of errors perhaps? Anyway here is the history:
He has refereed nine 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 seven we did somewhat better picking up three 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 " very 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 139 yellows and 15 reds from 38 games. He saw 2017 out with a bang with 24 yellows and 7 reds in his last four matches!
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.
Then 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.
And finally ... back in December he refereed our 2-0 win over Oldham to his usual unsatisfactory standard. Demetriou, McLaughlin and one of theirs picked up yellows.
Hope his performance is as we would like it and all ends well.
Assisting are Marc Wilson from Cambridge and landscape gardener and horticulturist, Leigh Crowhurst from Uckfield in East Sussex. Fourth Official will be Alan Dale from Ipswich
Saturday's man in charge should be a familiar figure, unless it's called of by someone more local beforehand. 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. A comedy of errors perhaps? Anyway here is the history:
He has refereed nine 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 seven we did somewhat better picking up three 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 " very 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 139 yellows and 15 reds from 38 games. He saw 2017 out with a bang with 24 yellows and 7 reds in his last four matches!
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.
Then 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.
And finally ... back in December he refereed our 2-0 win over Oldham to his usual unsatisfactory standard. Demetriou, McLaughlin and one of theirs picked up yellows.
Hope his performance is as we would like it and all ends well.
Assisting are Marc Wilson from Cambridge and landscape gardener and horticulturist, Leigh Crowhurst from Uckfield in East Sussex. Fourth Official will be Alan Dale from Ipswich
