Mick
Life President
Despite the 2-3 defeat at Roots Hall back in August a year ago, we are well on top in League head-to-head matches having won 24, drawn 10 and lost 14. Later last season we picked up an away point from a goalless draw. The previous two visits to Hartlepool both resulted in 1-0 wins - the unlikely scorer in the most recent being Will Atkinson, the likely scorer in the previous one being Freddy Eastwood. My only visit to Hartlepool was also a 1-0 win for us, a mere 57 years ago!
After last Saturday’s very good performance from all the officials, especially the referee, can we expect the same again? I’m afraid not !
The referee is 39-year-old Paul Marsden from Leyland near Preston, a former assistant principal at Hodgson Academy in Poulton. If the name sounds more familiar than most of our non-league referees, he was, briefly, a Football League referee. He was promoted into the Football League at the start of 2018/19 after just one season at National League level and then,at the end of 2019/20, he was relegated back into the National League (a season before us).
During his Football League time he refereed just one Southend match, a memorable performance for all the wrong reasons. It was our 4-2 home FA Cup defeat against Barnsley. Just one card for them but plenty of controversy.
He refereed us twice the season before last- firstly was our away victory at York which saw Andeng-Ndi, Kensdale and Miley cautioned along with a couple of theirs and then, less satisfactorily, the match at Wrexham when an own goal condemned us to a somewhat unfortunate defeat. Again, Miley and Kensdale were cautioned.
Last season he took charge of our match at Halifax. A 1-1 draw with plenty of controversy – four yellows, our two going to Miley and Ralph. In addition to their two yellows, Halifax had a player inexplicably sent off. This red card was duly overturned on appeal.
This season, the fifth in his second National League spell, he has done just one match so far at Halifax again when they beat Barnet 2-1. Five yellows, including Zak Brunt, but things appear to have gone okay for him.
The Assistants are both new to us. Dr Adam Nichol, a researcher from Ashington working at Northumbria University, who tutors in both refereeing and cricket umpiring and Stephen Rushworth from Huddersfield. Standing by as Fourth Official is Gareth Thomas from Sheffield.
After last Saturday’s very good performance from all the officials, especially the referee, can we expect the same again? I’m afraid not !
The referee is 39-year-old Paul Marsden from Leyland near Preston, a former assistant principal at Hodgson Academy in Poulton. If the name sounds more familiar than most of our non-league referees, he was, briefly, a Football League referee. He was promoted into the Football League at the start of 2018/19 after just one season at National League level and then,at the end of 2019/20, he was relegated back into the National League (a season before us).
During his Football League time he refereed just one Southend match, a memorable performance for all the wrong reasons. It was our 4-2 home FA Cup defeat against Barnsley. Just one card for them but plenty of controversy.
He refereed us twice the season before last- firstly was our away victory at York which saw Andeng-Ndi, Kensdale and Miley cautioned along with a couple of theirs and then, less satisfactorily, the match at Wrexham when an own goal condemned us to a somewhat unfortunate defeat. Again, Miley and Kensdale were cautioned.
Last season he took charge of our match at Halifax. A 1-1 draw with plenty of controversy – four yellows, our two going to Miley and Ralph. In addition to their two yellows, Halifax had a player inexplicably sent off. This red card was duly overturned on appeal.
This season, the fifth in his second National League spell, he has done just one match so far at Halifax again when they beat Barnet 2-1. Five yellows, including Zak Brunt, but things appear to have gone okay for him.
The Assistants are both new to us. Dr Adam Nichol, a researcher from Ashington working at Northumbria University, who tutors in both refereeing and cricket umpiring and Stephen Rushworth from Huddersfield. Standing by as Fourth Official is Gareth Thomas from Sheffield.
