Mick
Life President
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2003
- Messages
- 10,936
It is 10 years ago, almost to the day, when we got our last League win at Bristol Rovers with Tes the Cat notching the only goal of the game.
Man in charge today is the shaven-headed 41 year old, Darren Drysdale from Lincolnshire. A sergeant in the RAF, he began refereeing in 1988, officiating in the Northern Alliance and Northern Premier League, became an assistant referee for the Football League in 1996, and in1997 progressed to being a Conference North referee. In 1998 he was appointed as an assistant referee for the Premier League, and two years later was given the honour of being an assistant referee to Graham Poll in the 2000 FA Cup Final, he also became a FIFA assistant referee in the same year. In 2002, he became a UEFA assistant referee, one of only three from the UK at the time. He was appointed to the Football League List of referees in 2004.
He attracted some media attention in 2007 after Bradford City's Dean Windass received a five-match ban for swearing at him in the car park after a home game against Brentford.
He was dropped from the List a couple of years later and is now in his second spell as a League referee. Apparently he drives a top of the range Bentley with personalised number plates; he can park it next to Ron's.
We have seen little of him over his 8 years; just the three matches.
Most recently when he brought the curtain down on last season with the home play-off match against Crewe which, of course, we drew 2-2. Four cautions - one for us (the badly-missed Grant) and 3 for them including a controversial one for simulation.
Before that it was a 3-2 home defeat by Coventry in 2006/7 (2 yellows apiece) and the 2-1 win at Port Vale the following season when Macca got the winner (we shaded the yellows 3-2).
His card count was incredibly low last season but this season it has crept just above average with 43 yellows and a couple of reds from 13 matches.
Assistants are Chris Powell (no, the one from Poole) and John Law from Worcester. Brummie Andy Hendley is 4th Official.
Man in charge today is the shaven-headed 41 year old, Darren Drysdale from Lincolnshire. A sergeant in the RAF, he began refereeing in 1988, officiating in the Northern Alliance and Northern Premier League, became an assistant referee for the Football League in 1996, and in1997 progressed to being a Conference North referee. In 1998 he was appointed as an assistant referee for the Premier League, and two years later was given the honour of being an assistant referee to Graham Poll in the 2000 FA Cup Final, he also became a FIFA assistant referee in the same year. In 2002, he became a UEFA assistant referee, one of only three from the UK at the time. He was appointed to the Football League List of referees in 2004.
He attracted some media attention in 2007 after Bradford City's Dean Windass received a five-match ban for swearing at him in the car park after a home game against Brentford.
He was dropped from the List a couple of years later and is now in his second spell as a League referee. Apparently he drives a top of the range Bentley with personalised number plates; he can park it next to Ron's.
We have seen little of him over his 8 years; just the three matches.
Most recently when he brought the curtain down on last season with the home play-off match against Crewe which, of course, we drew 2-2. Four cautions - one for us (the badly-missed Grant) and 3 for them including a controversial one for simulation.
Before that it was a 3-2 home defeat by Coventry in 2006/7 (2 yellows apiece) and the 2-1 win at Port Vale the following season when Macca got the winner (we shaded the yellows 3-2).
His card count was incredibly low last season but this season it has crept just above average with 43 yellows and a couple of reds from 13 matches.
Assistants are Chris Powell (no, the one from Poole) and John Law from Worcester. Brummie Andy Hendley is 4th Official.