Kavanagh in charge at Wigan - Referee
Friday, 26th Aug 2016 11:46 by Clive Whittingham

Manchester official Chris Kavanagh, who awarded a last minute penalty against QPR last time he was in charge of their game, is the man in the middle for Saturday’s trip to Wigan.

Referee >>> Chris Kavanagh (Manchester), third full season on the league list, second QPR appointment.

Assistants >>> Tim Wood (Gloucestershire) and Tony Peart (North Yorkshire)

Fourth Official >>> Darren Strain (Cheshire)

History

http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/queensparkrangers/news/41145/leadbitter%E2 1 QPR 0, Friday November 20, 2015, Championship
He may have had a goal too, had he not been wrestled to the ground in the area as he honed in on a corner. There were a couple of incidents like that but once Boro realised referee Chris Kavanagh was going to let it go on, they continued safe in the knowledge no spot kicks would be awarded. If only QPR had realised too, this may have finished 0-0 after all given how the match ended.
For all the defensive improvements in the first period they only had an Ale Faurlin free kick, whipped in from a wide area after a foul on Fer by Leadbitter for which he was booked, that Konstantopoulos nervously fisted away to show for it. Faurlin had struggled during the first half, yards off the pace defensively and lucky to get away with a final warning from referee Chris Kavanagh for a wild lunge after 22 minutes. But with Neil Warnock literally phoning it in, in constant communication with Steve Gallen after a personal problem had prevented him from travelling, Faurlin and QPR began to grow into the game.
Five minutes of added time seemed generous given the lack of injuries and incident in the second half, but Boro only needed two of them to win the game. A simple back post corner, James Perch left Daniel Ayala unmarked, the Spanish defender executed a bicycle kick and Fer thrust out an arm on the goal line to divert it away. Replays suggested Robert Green may have got to it, although the shot carried plenty of power and the keeper looked to be too low to do much about it, but we’ll never know. I’ll castigate Perch for losing his man more than Fer for making a split second decision like that.
A red card, a Grant Leadbitter penalty, another 1-0 loss. QPR have tightened up at the back, but have now stopped scoring completely — from the most goals in the division to five blanks in six outings - and are thirteenth in the league.
Middlesbrough: Konstantopoulos 6; Nsue 6, Ayala 6, Gibson 6, Friend 6; Leadbitter 7, Clayton 7; Adomah 6 (Kike 78, 6), Fabbrini 7 (Stuani 63, 6), Downing 6; Nugent 5

Subs not used: de Pena, Meijas, Stephens, Zuculini, Woodgate

Goals: Leadbitter (penalty, handball Fer, 90)

Bookings: Leabitter (foul)

QPR: Green 6; Perch 5, Onuoha 7, Hall 7, Konchesky 5; Henry 6, Sandro 6 (Emmanuel-Thomas 81, -), Fer 5, Faurlin 6 (Tozser 75, 5), Phillips 6, Yun 6.

Subs not used: Smithies, Angella, Luongo, Petrasso, Blackwood

Red Cards: Fer 90 (deliberate handball preventing a goal)

Booked: Phillips (foul), Faurlin (repetitive fouling), Onuoha (foul)

Referee — Chris Kavanagh (Manchester) 6 I liked how he started this game. Faurlin, Friend and Leadbitter were all let away with a warning for fouls other referees would have booked them for, and by not showing yellows he didn’t create a situation later in the game where he would be under pressure to start showing red cards in a contest that never really called for it. Good game management. The big decision for the handball was correct as well, but QPR had one decent and one stone-wall shout for a penalty of their own when Hall was dragged to the floor as a cross was delivered. You have to be brave enough to give away teams decisions like that if they’re merited.

Stats

Four matches and 11 yellow cards for Kavanagh so far this season, with the six handed out at Huddersfield v Barnsley leading the way.

Leroy Fer’s red card at Middlesbrough was one of three he showed last season across 32 games with 114 yellows thrown into the bargain as well. The eight yellows and a red shown at Brighton’s Championship match with MK Dons was as hectic as it got in a single game.

The season before he showed 86 yellows and three reds in 29 appointments, of which eight were in the Championship — all in the second half of the season. He’s refereed Wigan twice before, in their relegation season of 2014/15 when they lost 2-1 at Sheff Wed and 3-0 at home to Charlton.