Mick
The Ref Aficionado.
Next up, we play Woking for the eighth time in the clubs’ history. Our record against them in League matches is one win to them, two draws and two wins for us, the most recent being when Harry and Gus scored there without reply back in October. Cup matches are tied at one apiece.
Woking are referred to as “the Cards”, not through any abundance of red and yellow cards (although on the evidence of the home match against them last season, that would be quite apposite), but as a contraction of the Cardinals. Again, nothing religious, simply their shirt colours were designated cardinal red.
Last time Woking came to Roots Hall they appointed a referee with just two National League games under his belt. It's fair to say this match did not go well for him and proved expensive for us. An unsavoury and fractious Woking side, everything seemed a bit too much for him, although several perverse decisions didn’t help his match control. A respectable draw but 9 cautions, the majority to them, and a mass brawl at the end and fines for both clubs.
Saturday’s referee, co-incidentally, also has just two National League games to his name. He is Richard Eley from Derby, who recently received a mid-season promotion. His very first match was in front of a crowd of 11,881 at Oldham against Kidderminster when they had £1 admission fee to celebrate the safe return of their Chairman Frank Rothwell after becoming the oldest person to row the Atlantic, age 73, and all in aid of charity. His other game was York against Fylde earlier this month. Just 4 yellow cards in those two matches.
Prior to his promotion he was doing National League North/South matches and some PL2 development games and also a bit of Football League Fourth Official stuff. He actually got to referee the second half of the Stockport v Crewe game when the original referee got injured.
When he is not refereeing he is a qualified evidence-based Nutrition Practitioner. He is also a fitness coach and certified personal trainer.
The rest of the team are all regular visitors. Assisting are Londoner, James Hurst for the 7th time and, from Dartford, Chris Myatt for the 9th time. Fourth Official is Jack Willmore from Clacton-on-Sea who performs that role here for the 5th time.
Woking are referred to as “the Cards”, not through any abundance of red and yellow cards (although on the evidence of the home match against them last season, that would be quite apposite), but as a contraction of the Cardinals. Again, nothing religious, simply their shirt colours were designated cardinal red.
Last time Woking came to Roots Hall they appointed a referee with just two National League games under his belt. It's fair to say this match did not go well for him and proved expensive for us. An unsavoury and fractious Woking side, everything seemed a bit too much for him, although several perverse decisions didn’t help his match control. A respectable draw but 9 cautions, the majority to them, and a mass brawl at the end and fines for both clubs.
Saturday’s referee, co-incidentally, also has just two National League games to his name. He is Richard Eley from Derby, who recently received a mid-season promotion. His very first match was in front of a crowd of 11,881 at Oldham against Kidderminster when they had £1 admission fee to celebrate the safe return of their Chairman Frank Rothwell after becoming the oldest person to row the Atlantic, age 73, and all in aid of charity. His other game was York against Fylde earlier this month. Just 4 yellow cards in those two matches.
Prior to his promotion he was doing National League North/South matches and some PL2 development games and also a bit of Football League Fourth Official stuff. He actually got to referee the second half of the Stockport v Crewe game when the original referee got injured.
When he is not refereeing he is a qualified evidence-based Nutrition Practitioner. He is also a fitness coach and certified personal trainer.
The rest of the team are all regular visitors. Assisting are Londoner, James Hurst for the 7th time and, from Dartford, Chris Myatt for the 9th time. Fourth Official is Jack Willmore from Clacton-on-Sea who performs that role here for the 5th time.
