Mick
Life President
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2003
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Hopefully not the last Refwatch of the season:
My memories of home matches against Bury are blighted by a series of turgid matches in the 70s when 5 matches against the Shakers yielded just three goals in total. Bury scored none of them and made very little attempt to do so.
Anyway the man in charge of Sunday's rather important match needs little introduction; he is Gavin Ward from Oxted in Surrey, whose many Southend games over the years can best be described as variable with rather more bad than good.
We had been spared him for a season and a half before his last Southend match back in August for the 1-1 home draw with Bristol Rovers when he showed yellows to McLaughlin, Cox and King (no, I don't remember him doing anything to warrant a booking or indeed anything at all) and two of theirs.
Before that his last Southend match was the home goalless stalemate with Dagenham at the end of 2014. A red card for Bolger and 3 yellows to the visitors and he didn't excel, preceded by the defeat against Walsall in the League Cup, same season, when he wasn't really very good either, failing to dismiss an opposing player for a blatant DOGSO and displaying a lot of inconsistency and randomness in his 6 cautions (Prosser, Atkinson & Coker for our three).
Prior to that his four most recent Southend matches were definitely some of his better ones, taking charge of the entertaining home 0-0 with Port Vale early 2012/13 with 1 caution to us (Tomlin - currently figuring in the Ryman Playoffs with Dulwich Hamlet) and 2 to them. Later that same season he refereed a home win against Oxford. This time three cautions (Clohessy, Timlin and Corr) for us and one for them. Then more recently when we crashed out of the JPT in 2013/14 at home to Dagenham (3 yellows for us, 2 and a red for them) followed by later the same year, the 3-2 home defeat by Exeter in the match featuring Jason Williams' turn of speed and sleight of hand. Just one yellow for Freddie.
Before those, his last match, or should I say half a match, was the ill-fated fixture at Aldershot on Boxing Day 2011/12, when, in the eyes of some, he became a good referee because his bad decisions favoured us for once.
The previous one was the home game against Shrewsbury (3-0), also 2011/12, which was his first return to Roots Hall for a League game since he mishandled the match against Gillingham over six years ago. He had returned since for a JPT match, against the same opposition 2010/11, and that went much better; generally JPT games are lower key.
The Shrewsbury game was undoubtedly another one of his better ones with a couple of penalties going our way and just three yellows shaded by the Shrews.
This is his tenth season as a League referee. He has refereed 14 of our home matches. His first three games went pretty much okay. They were the JPT defeat on pens by Dagenham, the 2-1 win against Hartlepool (who had Sam Collins sent off in that match) and, eight seasons ago, the 2-1 home win against Swindon.
The fourth one was also six seasons ago against Bristol Rovers when he declined to send off the opposing goalkeeper for a handball outside the area. Notwithstanding that decision, it wasn't the best of performances from Mr Ward.
The fifth home match was the one referred to earlier, the Gillingham home game 2009/10 with an astonishingly inept display producing 9 yellow cards.
Since then he also took charge of our away win at Leyton Orient in the same year.
He was an absolutely first class linesman/assistant referee. Lined in numerous Premiership matches and some full internationals. He had been looking to replicate that success in the middle and therefore will probably be disappointed that he has been deservedly overtaken in the pecking order by several younger officials (even if they don't look younger). His card count is a little on the high side with 144 yellows and 6 reds from 40 matches. The majority of his appointments have been League Two this season, a good indication he's going no further up the refereeing ladder. Some referees actually improve when they get to that stage no longer feeling the need to get noticed!
Assistants are Marc Wilson from Cambridge and Thomas Harty from Wolverhampton. Fourth Official is Nigel Lugg from Coulsdon, as he was for Mr Ward's last visit v Bristol Rovers.
Elsewhere Darren Handley referees the match at Bristol Rovers and Trevor Kettle has been sent to Hartlepool last week followed by Plymouth this week (perhaps they're trying to tell him something).
My memories of home matches against Bury are blighted by a series of turgid matches in the 70s when 5 matches against the Shakers yielded just three goals in total. Bury scored none of them and made very little attempt to do so.
Anyway the man in charge of Sunday's rather important match needs little introduction; he is Gavin Ward from Oxted in Surrey, whose many Southend games over the years can best be described as variable with rather more bad than good.
We had been spared him for a season and a half before his last Southend match back in August for the 1-1 home draw with Bristol Rovers when he showed yellows to McLaughlin, Cox and King (no, I don't remember him doing anything to warrant a booking or indeed anything at all) and two of theirs.
Before that his last Southend match was the home goalless stalemate with Dagenham at the end of 2014. A red card for Bolger and 3 yellows to the visitors and he didn't excel, preceded by the defeat against Walsall in the League Cup, same season, when he wasn't really very good either, failing to dismiss an opposing player for a blatant DOGSO and displaying a lot of inconsistency and randomness in his 6 cautions (Prosser, Atkinson & Coker for our three).
Prior to that his four most recent Southend matches were definitely some of his better ones, taking charge of the entertaining home 0-0 with Port Vale early 2012/13 with 1 caution to us (Tomlin - currently figuring in the Ryman Playoffs with Dulwich Hamlet) and 2 to them. Later that same season he refereed a home win against Oxford. This time three cautions (Clohessy, Timlin and Corr) for us and one for them. Then more recently when we crashed out of the JPT in 2013/14 at home to Dagenham (3 yellows for us, 2 and a red for them) followed by later the same year, the 3-2 home defeat by Exeter in the match featuring Jason Williams' turn of speed and sleight of hand. Just one yellow for Freddie.
Before those, his last match, or should I say half a match, was the ill-fated fixture at Aldershot on Boxing Day 2011/12, when, in the eyes of some, he became a good referee because his bad decisions favoured us for once.
The previous one was the home game against Shrewsbury (3-0), also 2011/12, which was his first return to Roots Hall for a League game since he mishandled the match against Gillingham over six years ago. He had returned since for a JPT match, against the same opposition 2010/11, and that went much better; generally JPT games are lower key.
The Shrewsbury game was undoubtedly another one of his better ones with a couple of penalties going our way and just three yellows shaded by the Shrews.
This is his tenth season as a League referee. He has refereed 14 of our home matches. His first three games went pretty much okay. They were the JPT defeat on pens by Dagenham, the 2-1 win against Hartlepool (who had Sam Collins sent off in that match) and, eight seasons ago, the 2-1 home win against Swindon.
The fourth one was also six seasons ago against Bristol Rovers when he declined to send off the opposing goalkeeper for a handball outside the area. Notwithstanding that decision, it wasn't the best of performances from Mr Ward.
The fifth home match was the one referred to earlier, the Gillingham home game 2009/10 with an astonishingly inept display producing 9 yellow cards.
Since then he also took charge of our away win at Leyton Orient in the same year.
He was an absolutely first class linesman/assistant referee. Lined in numerous Premiership matches and some full internationals. He had been looking to replicate that success in the middle and therefore will probably be disappointed that he has been deservedly overtaken in the pecking order by several younger officials (even if they don't look younger). His card count is a little on the high side with 144 yellows and 6 reds from 40 matches. The majority of his appointments have been League Two this season, a good indication he's going no further up the refereeing ladder. Some referees actually improve when they get to that stage no longer feeling the need to get noticed!
Assistants are Marc Wilson from Cambridge and Thomas Harty from Wolverhampton. Fourth Official is Nigel Lugg from Coulsdon, as he was for Mr Ward's last visit v Bristol Rovers.
Elsewhere Darren Handley referees the match at Bristol Rovers and Trevor Kettle has been sent to Hartlepool last week followed by Plymouth this week (perhaps they're trying to tell him something).
