QPR’s return to the Premier League against Hull City this Saturday will be refereed by Sheffield official Craig Pawson, who made his top flight debut last season.
Referee >>> Craig Pawson (Sheffield), highly thought of young official who is embarking on his first full season in the Premier League after ten top flight appointments last season.
Assistants >>> Simon Long (Cornwall) and Dave Bryan (Scunthorpe)
Fourth Official >>> Kevin Friend (Leicestershire), Premier League referee who isn’t getting his season underway until Tuesday when he’s in charge of Bournemouth v Forest in the league below.
Queens Park Rangers 2 Accrington Stanley 1, Tuesday August 24, 2009, League Cup
Sean McConville gave Heaton his first save in competitive football for Rangers with a speculative drive that the keeper easily gobbled up showing safe hands. Hearts were beating a little faster moments later though when a poor backpass from Stewart to Heaton bounced slowly to him, he did not receive a call for ‘man on’ and as he hurriedly tried to clear the ball he seemed to catch the oncoming McConville who went down like a scuttled pocket Battleship. Cue agonised expression, moaning etc. However when he realised only a goal kick had been given, he jumped swiftly up like a greyhound from trap one and ran after the referee for a good 25 yards. Jesus would have been proud of the seemingly miraculous recovery. McConville was rightly booed for some time afterwards.
QPR: Heaton 8, Ramage 7, Stewart 5, Gorkss 5 (Borrowdale 46, 5) Connolly 7, Ephraim 7, Mahon 4 (Routledge 68, 7) Leigertwood 5, Buzsaky 4, Vine 4, Agyemang 2 (Taarabt 46, 6)
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Helguson, Pellicori, Balanta
Booked: Ramage (foul)
Goals: Ephraim 68 (assisted Ramage), Routledge 90 (assisted Ephraim)
Accrington Stanley: Martin, Kempson, Edwards, Winnard, Murphy (Kee 73), Procter, Joyce, Ryan (Turner 81), McConville (Grant 73), Symes, Miles
Subs Not Used: Dunbavin, Richardson, Paul Mullin, Gary King
Booked: Ryan
Goals: Symes 90
Referee: Craig Pawson (Sheffield)
Pawson refereed 27 games last season, ten of which were in the Premier League. Overall he showed 94 yellows and four reds in those games (3.48 yellows a match). His biggest haul in a single fixture was six yellows and a red, which he reached on two occasions before Christmas: Brighton 1 Forest 3, and Yeovil 2 Charlton 2 in the Championship. He was below his average in the Premier League games — 28 yellows and no reds across his ten fixtures. Two of those ten games involved Hull — their 2-0 defeat at Liverpool and 3-1 set back at Manchester United. He also refereed 3-0 home win against Sunderland in the FA Cup.
The season before he refereed 36 games spread across the three Football League divisions and two cup competitions. He showed 103 yellows and four reds in those games (2.86 bookings a match) and his biggest single haul was eight yellows in Burnley’s 2-2 home draw with Millwall in the second tier. He booked two in Hull’s 0-0 Boxing Day draw with Leicester.
Premier League >>> No Howard Webb this season following his retirement and although he was at Bradford v Coventry last weekend Mike Dean is in prime place to be his replacement as number one referee in the country. He starts with Man Utd v Swansea. Michael Oliver had the Charity Shield and is another highly thought of official — his first premier League game this season is Burnley v Chelsea on Monday night. Chris Foy is trusted with West Ham v Spurs.
Championship >>> The decision to send Millwall to Craven Cottage for Fulham’s first home game back in the second tier is sure to test the "neutral end” to its limits, and Premier League referee Lee Mason has been dropped down to keep an eye on things. Our old chum Gavin Ward has Bournemouth v Brentford and another former foe Stuart Attwell is at Leeds v Middlesbrough.
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