Ref Watch PLAY-OFF Burton A 1st Leg

[Mick]

The referee for Sunday's match is Oliver Langford from Darlaston, near Walsall in the West Midlands.

I understand play-off appointments are made from the top of the "merit list" for officials, so he's obviously had a good season. He is however a referee I would always prefer to see doing home matches.

Timlin may not welcome this selection as Langford has cautioned him four times in the last four Southend matches he's refereed !

In his sixth season as a Football League referee, he has only refereed Southend six times before. First was the dreadful match (until the last minute anyway) at Leyton Orient in 2008/9. He didn't excel, but did better than the players. The second was the low-key paint thing at Milton Keynes the following season. In both of those games he seemed to find it easier to caution away players than home ones.

His third Southend match was the 1-4 home defeat by Swindon the season before last when he cautioned Timlin, Kalala and, for them, Macca.

His fourth was early last season and somewhat controversial. In the 2-0 defeat at Oxford he only showed two soft yellow cards. Unfortunately they were both for Timlin.

Then he was in charge of last season's home cup replay which we drew 1-1 with Bury, going through on penalties. He did fine - other than yet another soft yellow for Timlin.

Finally he was at Morecambe this season when we lost 2-1, with, unusually, both yellows going to the home team.

He was in charge of the key game last weekend when Bristol Rovers lost their League status.

His yellow card count is well below average with just 74 yellows from 36 matches (many in the Championship), which have also seen 4 red cards.

The assistants are Phil Dermott from Wigan (who was also at that Morecambe game this season) and Paul Hodskinson from Preston. The 4th officials for the play-offs are all League referees and for this game it's Tony Harrington from Cleveland who co-incidentally refereed our League win at Burton this season, sending off Billy Kee. He also refereed our comfortable win at the New York Stadium the year before.

 

[Mick]

Elsewhere in the play offs, the Championship games all go to Select Group (Premiership) officials.

League 1 and 2 have gone to:

Salisbury, Graham
Williamson, Iain
Russell, Mick
Stroud, Keith
Boyeson, Carl
Langford, Oliver
Duncan, Scott
Tierney, Paul

A few surprises there and a few omissions.

Expect the final referees could be from the excellent Dean Whitestone, Michael Naylor or Graham Scott. Hopefully League 2's one won't be Andy D'Urso because that would mean we're not in it.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

Ouch, those Timlin cautions at Oxford! Neither was worth a yellow card.Ruined the game totally.

 

[The General]

Ouch, those Timlin cautions at Oxford! Neither was worth a yellow card.Ruined the game totally.

Spot on. How Timlin picked up 2 yellows and no-one else got booked was beyond me!

 

[slapheadsteve]

Spot on. How Timlin picked up 2 yellows and no-one else got booked was beyond me!

Suprised not more comment on Micheal Timlin's Number one fan

 

[buffalowolf]

MMM will the weather and referee conspire against us, i would prefer a nice sunny day not a wet one, wet grounds not suitable it seems to SUFC passing game.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Definitely seemed to be a "homer", and another weak one who allowed terrible time wasting.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Definitely seemed to be a "homer", and another weak one who allowed terrible time wasting.

He made poor decisions that helped us too - most notably the first booking for Sharps.

 

[A Century United]

He made poor decisions that helped us too - most notably the first booking for Sharps.

Was watching with a neutral friend of my son, who was impressed with the standard of skill on display in patches, but felt the referee was "awful" and ruined the game by being weak and inconsistent, with poor decisions for both sides.

 

[Somerset Ex-TTB]

Thought he was poor throughout. Dished out cards far too easily for both sides. Coker's and Corr's were both harsh, as were both yellow's for Sharps. Time wasting was bad (you wait till Saturday!), but there were over 7 minutes of added time.

 

[manor15]

Thought he was poor throughout. Dished out cards far too easily for both sides. Coker's and Corr's were both harsh, as were both yellow's for Sharps. Time wasting was bad (you wait till Saturday!), but there were over 7 minutes of added time.

To be fair, Corr's was for persistent fouling rather than that challenge itself, and he had it coming. I didn't understand the number of times he said no foul after a Burton dive and never produced anything to punish them for it, he clearly wasn't afraid to dish out the cards so you think he'd give one out for diving and one out for time wasting relatively early on and then it cuts it all down.
He was hugely inconsistent and made some awful decisions in favour of both teams, although probably more in favour of the home team, but seeing as the red for them was quite harsh I don't think we can protest too much.
Yet to see the highlights on TV, was the challenge on Egan late on a penalty or not? Initially I thought it would have been soft from my view, but the more I think about it the more I think it was a pen.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

I will remember this ref for ever for both the Timlin debacle and now his poor showing in a crucial game.
He seemed to be working under the principle that two wrongs made a right decision or that he ought to balance things out to make up for earlier mistakes by him.
It was also odd to have a game with few off sides against us, have we learnt that rule at last or was there no behind the last man play?

 

[Shrimper2thecore]

One of the worst refs I've seen this season.

He completely bottled the occasion.

 

[londonblue]

To be fair, Corr's was for persistent fouling rather than that challenge itself, and he had it coming. I didn't understand the number of times he said no foul after a Burton dive and never produced anything to punish them for it, he clearly wasn't afraid to dish out the cards so you think he'd give one out for diving and one out for time wasting relatively early on and then it cuts it all down.
He was hugely inconsistent and made some awful decisions in favour of both teams, although probably more in favour of the home team, but seeing as the red for them was quite harsh I don't think we can protest too much.
Yet to see the highlights on TV, was the challenge on Egan late on a penalty or not? Initially I thought it would have been soft from my view, but the more I think about it the more I think it was a pen.

I watched it as soon as I got in from the match, and all I saw was their player make a genuine attempt at going for the ball, but missing and actually kicking Egan's foot mid-swing. I didn't see him make contact with the ball at all.

Then I hear the commentary say that he got the ball, so I watched it again and again, and still couldn't see their player get the ball. I know I'm biased (which is why I watched it so many times) but I can't see it being anything other than a foul. That said, there would have been a debate as to whether it was inside or outside the area...

 

[Uncle Leo]

To be fair, Corr's was for persistent fouling rather than that challenge itself, and he had it coming. I didn't understand the number of times he said no foul after a Burton dive and never produced anything to punish them for it, he clearly wasn't afraid to dish out the cards so you think he'd give one out for diving and one out for time wasting relatively early on and then it cuts it all down.
He was hugely inconsistent and made some awful decisions in favour of both teams, although probably more in favour of the home team, but seeing as the red for them was quite harsh I don't think we can protest too much.
Yet to see the highlights on TV, was the challenge on Egan late on a penalty or not? Initially I thought it would have been soft from my view, but the more I think about it the more I think it was a pen.

Contact seemed minimal, but I think it was outside the box anyway.

Was watching it on telly and would normally leap out of my seat if I thought we were about to be given a penalty, but I stayed put for that one; just couldn't see it being given.

 

[Fish]

I thought he was spot on for Sharp's second card, but the first he simply got wrong. Because of the FA's laughable appeals rules Burton will be without him for the second leg, even though the first yellow was clearly wrong.

However, White was a very very lucky man. How he didn't get a yellow for his retributive lunge I'll never know (neither will I understand why the Burton guy who shoved him into the advertising hoardings wasn't dealt with either). Whether he'd have then gone on to commit the foul he got a yellow for, I don't know, but I do know I don't want to see our captain losing it like that in a big game.

Corr certainly had it coming and didn't heed the warnings, but then as usual he got no protection early door sso clearly decided he was going to take matters into his own hands.

Although a lot of timewasting went on, I thought the ref allowed for it. Rather than dishing out yellows for it all the time, he clearly opted to simply add time on. Not the approach I would take, but at least it's fair.

Penalty call could have gone either way (would have been interesting what he'd have given at RH if his reputation for being a homer is true), but FWIW I thought he got it right.

 

[Mick]

I thought he was spot on for Sharp's second card, but the first he simply got wrong. Because of the FA's laughable appeals rules Burton will be without him for the second leg,

....... and, hopefully, the first game of next season !!

 

[Fish]

....... and, hopefully, the first game of next season !!

Amen to that brother!

 

[CC51DAS]

....... and, hopefully, the first game of next season !!

I wonder what the chances are that that will be Burton Albion ?!