Mick
Life President
The man in charge of festive cards on Boxing Day is Lee Collins from Surrey. He was fast tracked through the system and rose to the level of League referee remarkably quickly, this being his sixth season.
However his progress has been hampered by losing half of last season to injury and doing the same again this season; this will be just his 6th game of the season and his first in League One.
He started his career off with 6 red cards in his first 11 matches, then calmed down a lot.
His last Southend match was our very first (and one of the worst) of 2016. An abject 3-0 home defeat to Doncaster Rovers, who went on to be relegated! Four yellows for us in that game and one for them. Ours went to White, Thompson, Leonard and, inevitably, Deegan.
Before that he had a poor game in what was our second successive win at Portsmouth with 10 men as he showed two yellows to Barry Corr and a straight red to one of theirs. Also a yellow for Timlin.
Then came another match against Wimbledon at home in 2014/15 - one of many disappointing home matches at the time - when we lost 1-0. Four yellows in total: Bolger for us and three for them.
Before that it was the 0-0 home draw with Bury 2013/14 when he again sent off Barry Corr and cautioned Egan and Leonard (and two of theirs).
Previously it was our wretched performance at Newport in the same season where he was comfortably more competent than the players. Atkinson's yellow was the only card of the match.
His previous home match was the League Cup defeat by Yeovil. A yellow for Prosser and four of theirs.
And before that, he killed the game for Dagenham with a unjustifiable red card after 8 minutes (which was subsequently rescinded). A further yellow for Phillips and a comfortable 3-1 win thanks to two goals from Assombalonga.
He has refereed Southend on two other previous occasions. More recently, Oxford away at the end of the 2011/12 season (one caution for us, two for them) and before that at, co-incidentally, Dagenham in the 3-2 League win when he cautioned Mohsni and again two of theirs. He didn't attract much comment, adverse or otherwise.
His 5 matches thus far this season have produced 14 yellows and a red.
Assisting are Michael George, a poor non-league referee from North Walsham, Norfolk and Stuart Butler from Maidstone. Aji Ajibola from Erith, is Fourth Official. He has refereed at Roots Hall twice in the FA Youth Cup (against Barnet and Oxford) and is a salesman for Canon Business Solutions and a keen amateur boxer.
Season's Greetings everyone !
However his progress has been hampered by losing half of last season to injury and doing the same again this season; this will be just his 6th game of the season and his first in League One.
He started his career off with 6 red cards in his first 11 matches, then calmed down a lot.
His last Southend match was our very first (and one of the worst) of 2016. An abject 3-0 home defeat to Doncaster Rovers, who went on to be relegated! Four yellows for us in that game and one for them. Ours went to White, Thompson, Leonard and, inevitably, Deegan.
Before that he had a poor game in what was our second successive win at Portsmouth with 10 men as he showed two yellows to Barry Corr and a straight red to one of theirs. Also a yellow for Timlin.
Then came another match against Wimbledon at home in 2014/15 - one of many disappointing home matches at the time - when we lost 1-0. Four yellows in total: Bolger for us and three for them.
Before that it was the 0-0 home draw with Bury 2013/14 when he again sent off Barry Corr and cautioned Egan and Leonard (and two of theirs).
Previously it was our wretched performance at Newport in the same season where he was comfortably more competent than the players. Atkinson's yellow was the only card of the match.
His previous home match was the League Cup defeat by Yeovil. A yellow for Prosser and four of theirs.
And before that, he killed the game for Dagenham with a unjustifiable red card after 8 minutes (which was subsequently rescinded). A further yellow for Phillips and a comfortable 3-1 win thanks to two goals from Assombalonga.
He has refereed Southend on two other previous occasions. More recently, Oxford away at the end of the 2011/12 season (one caution for us, two for them) and before that at, co-incidentally, Dagenham in the 3-2 League win when he cautioned Mohsni and again two of theirs. He didn't attract much comment, adverse or otherwise.
His 5 matches thus far this season have produced 14 yellows and a red.
Assisting are Michael George, a poor non-league referee from North Walsham, Norfolk and Stuart Butler from Maidstone. Aji Ajibola from Erith, is Fourth Official. He has refereed at Roots Hall twice in the FA Youth Cup (against Barnet and Oxford) and is a salesman for Canon Business Solutions and a keen amateur boxer.
Season's Greetings everyone !
