The next man to take charge of a Norwich fixture is named as Alan Taylor, who has not officiated a game involving Norwich since 23 August, 2008, in a 2-2 draw at Cardiff.

Now a member of the Select Group of referees, Taylor is, if anything, more prolific with his cards than most encountered this season. His average fall just short of two and a half yellow cards in every game. It is 91 in 38, to be precise.

40 yellows in the 10 Premier League games so far, with five or six cards on seven occasions, even handling the big clubs doesn't stop Mr Taylor from trying to put himself between the players and the game.

Only three of his 11 red cards have been shown in the PremierLeague, his involvement with Sheffield United has seen two reds in two games.

This is his RefWorld profile:

Anthony started refereeing when he was sixteen in his local Wythenshawe Leagues before moving on to the Northern Premier League in 2001. 

In 2005 he was promoted to the National List of Assistant Referees and after only one season was promoted to the referees’ list.

He has refereed the FA County Youth Cup Final in addition to taking charge of an England U19 friendly international. His first ever Premier League game came on February 3, 2010 at Craven Cottage between Fulham and Portsmouth.  

He refereed one more game in the top flight during the 2009-10 season before being promoted to the Select Group of Referees at the start of the 2010-11 season.  Spare time activities include spending time with his daughter and music.

How did you get introduced into refereeing? 

Having played in local football the referees course was mentioned to me one day. It was pretty obvious that I wasn't going to play at any higher level so decided to give the course a go.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

Actually being promoted onto the National List of referees was a very proud moment for me. It is difficult to single out a particular game as they are all enjoyable but also being awarded my FA three lions badge and representing the Football League at the Dallas Cup tournament were special moments.

What is the best game you have officiated and why? 

I recently refereed the FA Cup replay, Chasetown v Port Vale. The whole night just showed that anything can really happen in football. It was the biggest game in Chasetown's history, sub zero temperatures, two missed penalties and a last minute winner for the underdogs contributed to a great atmosphere. Also any derby games you are involved in have special atmospheres. Games such as Preston v Burnley and West Brom v Wolves are great to be involved in.

What are your aims as a National List Referee?

To perform to a consistently high standard and officiate at the higher profile matches. Ultimately my aim is to referee on the Premier League and the international list, but that will take a lot of hard work and time.

What skills do you think you need to become a referee? 

The biggest part of being a referee is being able to deal with people in a whole array of situations. Being calm and being able to manage whatever situation is presented to you effectively is crucial. Also you obviously also need to be able to deal with comments and "advice" offered to you at grounds, and ensure that it does not effect you.

Who has been the biggest influence in your career and why? 

As my career has developed I have realised how important it is to learn from your mistakes and make adjustments to your game to ensure you do not make similar mistakes in the future. Also picking up best practice from my more experienced colleagues helps me develop, but I think as individual referees we all need our own personality to help us control a game of football.

In your opinion who is/was the best referee? 

Names such as Joe Worrall and George Courtney spring to mind, as well as Pierluigi Collina and Markus Merk from the continent. Currently in this country we have many excellent referees both on the Premier and Football Leagues, so it is very difficult to single one individual out.

The assistant referees are D Cann and P Thompson, while the fourth official is D Deademan.

Photo: Action Images

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