Salisbury referees Scunthorpe game again, hopefully better than last year
Thursday, 19th Aug 2010 22:45 by Clive Whittingham

For the second August running QPR meet Scunthorpe United this weekend with Graham Salisbury in charge. His performance at Glanford Park last season left something to be desired.

Referee >>> Graham Salisbury, Lancashire, ten year league veteran, refereed the meeting between these sides at Glanford Park last season which was QPR’s first win under his charge in four attempts.

Assistants >>> Gary Jerden (Essex) and Andrew Rodda (Devon)

Fourth Official >>> David Bushell (London)

Previously

Saturday, August 29, 2009, Scunthorpe 0 QPR 1

In the opening thirty seconds there was a flash point by the corner of the Scunthorpe penalty box; Jay Simpson got an early debut touch when he ran onto a ball into the channel behind a static defence down the QPR right but found himself cruelly chopped to ground by a scything tackle from Iron goalkeeper Joe Murphy. The Irish keeper was needlessly far out of his goal, the tackle was a very poor one and he was extremely fortunate to only be shown a yellow card. I know there seems to be this commonly accepted idea that if a striker I heading away from goal or is wide on the pitch then it is not denying a goal scoring opportunity but I’m sorry, with the goalkeeper a good 25 yards off his line and the ball already pushed past him under what circumstances is that not a clear and obvious goal scoring chance? Murphy was very, very lucky in my opinion.

It was around this time that referee Graham Salisbury started to have an impact on proceedings. First he missed an obvious hand ball from Woolford on the edge of the area and allowed Spence to get a long range shot away with QPR players to a man still appealing for a free kick. Then there was a farcical passage of play where an offside flag was raised against Hooper, and remained raised for a good minute while the referee allowed play to go on. Quite apart from the referee’s mantra supposedly being ‘look through play towards your linesman’ what in the name of God is that Britney Spears style ear piece and mic for if it is not to communicate with the other officials? Did he have the Racing Channel on there or something? Very poor, and in many ways the official is lucky he did not have a real incident on his hands there because had Scunthorpe scored during that minute of effectively dead play he would have had problems, likewise had the linesman got bored and dropped his flag – well done to him for standing firm in the face of incompetence.

Scunthorpe had the first of two penalty appeals with a quarter of an hour left to play. Routledge lost the ball on halfway with Ramage already past him on the overlap. That gave Hayes a chance to feed Hooper who was fouled on the edge of the box by Leigertwood. Hayes took the free kick quickly, again feeding Hooper who appealed to the referee that Connolly had hold of his shirt as he turned inside to shoot. It would have been a harsh call.

The second looked more clear cut. A blatant foul on Ramage contesting an aerial ball was missed by the match officials and for a moment it seemed Hayes was in the wrong side of Connolly. The QPR man showed great strength in easing Hayes out of the chance, but the theatrical tumble and loud appeals from the otherwise subdued home crowd may have tempted Mr Salisbury to point to the spot. He resisted the urge once again.

On the very next attack QPR should have been given a chance to tie the game up from the penalty spot. Again the hold up work and perfect final ball was from Helguson, this time the Icelandic striker slid Wayne Routledge through another gaping hole in the home defence. Routledge’s first touch was heavy, denying him a run on goal, but he had the speed to catch up with the ball and toe it away from Murphy who clearly took the winger’s standing leg and sent him sprawling. Referee Graham Salisbury blew his whistle, and booked Routledge for diving. It looked an absolute stick on penalty for me, but Routledge’s lack of complaints made me think perhaps he had dived. Having watched the replay on television I have not changed my opinion – it’s a blatant penalty and the farce is only deepened by Murphy, riding his luck again, laughing heartily as he goes to take the free kick.

To make matters worse Salisbury allowed Murphy to get on with it from the wrong position, while the booking was still taking place. Scunthorpe stormed off down the field and Hayes was then awarded a very soft free kick for a foul by Hall when they both seemed to be pulling each other, right on the edge of the penalty box by a referee who was a good sixty yards back down the field failing miserably to keep up with the play. This nonsense was all too much for Jim Magilton to bear and the QPR manager and he was sent to the stands for telling a piss poor referee one or two home truths. McCann’s free kick, when it was eventually taken, was nodded wide at the back post.

Just to really put the tin hat on it all Mr Salisbury found five minutes of added time at the end of the game. Fair enough you may think, but when you consider that the first half was extended by only four minutes despite Fitz Hall’s shoulder injury, Hogan Ephraim’s knee injury, the clash of heads between Connolly and Hooper and then further prolonged strapping of Connolly’s head you have to wonder where such an allotment came in the second half where there were no injuries at all.

Scunthorpe: Murphy 6, Spence 7, Byrne 6, Mirfin 6, Williams 6,Sparrow 5 (Thompson 70, 6), Togwell 5 (McCann 61, 6), O'Connor 6 (Wright 61, 6), Woolford 6, Hayes 5, Hooper 5

Subs Not Used: Lillis, Forte, Morris, Crosby

Booked: Murphy (foul)

QPR: Cerny 7, Ramage 6, Hall 7, Connolly 7, Borrowdale 6, Routledge 6,Leigertwood 4, Faurlin 7 (Mahon 81, 5), Ephraim 6, Taarabt 6 (Vine 56, 5),Simpson 6 (Helguson 70, 6)

Subs Not Used: Heaton, Stewart, Buzsaky, Pellicori

Booked: Routledge (diving)

Goals: Taarabt 3 (assisted Faurlin)

Referee: Graham Salisbury (Lancashire) 4 Worst so far this season. Routledge’s “dive” is a nailed on penalty for me no matter how many times I see it. Scunthorpe were given some really questionable free kicks near the end, not least the one McCann nearly scored from where Routledge clearly took the ball cleanly. The incident in the first half where we played on for a good minute with the flag raised was a farce. Very poor.

Tuesday, September 19, Port Vale 3 QPR 2, League Cup

Port Vale: Goodlad 5, McGregor 7, Pilkington 6, Walker 7, Talbot 7, Whitaker 8, Sonner 7 (Husbands 83, -), Harsley 7, Jeff Smith 8, Sodje 8,Constantine 7

Subs Not Used: Anyon, Lowndes, Cardle, Abbey

Goals: Jeff Smith 19, Whitaker 28, Walker 61

QPR: Cole 3, Bignot 3, Stewart 5, Kanyuka 5, Milanese 3 (Rose 46, 6), Cook 5,Ward 4 (Baidoo 72, 6), Bircham 6, Bailey 6, Nygaard 5 (Ray Jones 45, 6),Czerkas 4

Subs Not Used: Rehman, Donnelly

Booked: Bailey, Nygaard

Goals: Nygaard 9, Stewart 78

Referee: G Salisbury (Lancashire) 8 - Allowed a combative game to take place without unnecessary interruptions and stoppages. No choice with the two bookings but kept the cards away when other more picky refs may have gone mad. Played a very good advantage rule throughout the match. Well done.

His other two QPR appointments saw us crash out of the League Cup in rather more illustrious surroundings in 2004 at Aston Villa, and then back in 2002 we were hammered by Peterborough 4-1 at London Road and Salisbury sent off Danny Shittu for two bookings on his debut just hours after he had signed for the R’s from Charlton. His last Scunthorpe match prior to our meeting last season was when they beat Brighton 2-0 at Glanford Park in League One the season before – four yellows and a red to Brighton’s Matt Heath were shown, one of Scunthorpe’s goals was a penalty. He also refereed their 3-0 defeat at Oldham before Christmas that year. Since then he has refereed Scunthorpe’s 2-2 home draw with Reading where nine yellow cards were shown and Reading were awarded a penalty.

Stats

The nine card haul in the Scunthorpe v Reading game at the end of last season boosted Salisbury’s card total to 87 yellows (2.289 a game) and nine reds in 38 matches and was his biggest haul in a single game by three clear cards. So far this season he has refereed one match, Tranmere1 Oldham 2 in League One where four yellow card were shown.

Other Listings:

Championship >>> Premiership referee Lee Probert - once branded a village idiot by Ian Holloway after a three game horror show that included a last minute penalty against us at Sheffield United, a red card for Jude the Cat v Preston and a refusal to call off a game at Wolves being played under six inches of water because Wolves were winning - is down with us this weekend taking Nottingham Forest v Reading.

League One >>> Rob Shoebridge, second bottom of the LFW referee league last season and the man who failed to spot Palace’s goal at Bristol City last season, has Charlton v Oldham.

League Cup >>> Shoebridge is back in action on Wednesday with the televised clash between Accrington and Newcastle.

Photo: Action Images

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