A long trip for the lads on Saturday as we face Plymouth at the Home Park Stadium in our last game before Christmas. This week’s man in the middle is Paul Howard from Oxfordshire and this is his first full season as a referee, graduating from the National League and previously being involved in Premier League B games.
Whilst Mr Howard has never refereed a game for us our paths have crossed when he was the 4th official in November 2019 where we lost 3-1 at home to Tranmere Rovers.
Even though this is Ref Howards first season the EFL are not easing him gently, currently on the “Fast Track Programme”, he has been in charge on 17 occasions, plus four stints as the 4th official. In those 17 games he has dished out 44 yellow cards, two of which he has upgraded to red, but so far, no straight reds
Mr Howard is joined on the flags by Mark Derrien and Michael Begley, with Daniel Flynn as the 4th official.
