By WhistleBlower
This is the second attempt at this, note to self, make sure you save your work before moving on to something else.
Up next is our 400-mile round trip to Exeter City, but it is nothing in comparison with the 520-mile round trip our referee Ben Toner from Blackburn must endure, ludicrous, but I have made my feelings known in the past, but at least it gives us another opportunity to look back at an old REF WATCH story regarding Mr Toner.
Before that we must look back at and score Ref Lee Swabey for his performance on Tuesday night in our PJT game with Cheltenham Town. Wasn’t that impressed, he set the tempo by giving a cheap penalty and then he had to follow it up booking anyone that put in a tackle. Played the advantage when there wasn’t one and allowed players to time waste…very poor, 6 scored.
Right then…. true story…. Referee bosses made the bizarre decision to take experienced official Ben Toner off Blackpool’s League One clash with Portsmouth after his name caused amusement on social media.
Toner had been named to take charge of the game, leading to several Blackpool fans pointing out the irony that his name sounded like ‘Bent Owner’, this in the wake of the Lancashire club’s majority owners, Owen Oyston, and his son Karl, being found by a High Court judge to have been guilty of ‘fundamental breaches’ of their duties as directors, you couldn’t make it up could you.
This season Mr Toner has overseen 5 games booking 14 players, with 0 double yellows, 0 red cards and just the 1 penalty awarded.
The last time we saw Ref Toner was back in April of last season where we lost our unbeaten 14 game run at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday at Stadium MK, losing 3-2. Wednesday raced to a three-goal lead including that goal by Barry Bannan, Troy Parrott pulled one back before the break and despite a bombardment of the Owls goal in the second half the injury time goal by Scot Twine was too little, too late.
In the same season Mr Toner oversaw 33 games booking 96 players, 1 double yellow offence, 3 red cards and just 5 penalties awarded.
Looking back at Mr Toner’s career we should recall January 30th, 2021, where he was the man in charge for our away trip to AFC Wimbledon, a game we won 2-0, O’Riley and Sorinola with the goals securing AFC’s 5th defeat on the bounce at home.
On Saturday assisting will be Mark Derrien and Lee Freeman on the flags and Daniel Flynn as the 4th Official.
