Andy Davies, who turned down multiple Reading penalty appeals when we won there in October, takes charge of our often combustible fixture at Stoke this weekend.
Referee >>> Andy Davies (Hampshire), refereed QPR’s 1-0 win at Reading in October in fine style.
Assistants >>> Paul Hodskinson (Lancashire) and Mark Dwyer (West Yorkshire)
Fourth Official >>> Darren England (South Yorkshire)
Reading 0 QPR 1, Tuesday October 2, 2018, Championship
Fortunately, apart from Méïté’s one off the post, Reading’s main tactic for the second period seemed to be based around conning penalties out of referee Andy Davies. Double fortunately, Davies wasn’t having any of it. First he booked Méïté for going down as he ran past Toni Leistner in the box — haven’t seen it back, it looked a pen to me at first glance. Then Ezatolahi went the same way, into the notebook for a much more obvious flop under no contact at all. I wondered whether Reading were deliberately playing on the human nature of match officials, who having had enough courage of their convictions to wave one appeal away from a home team and issue a yellow card may be intimidated into awarding a questionable one the other way next time. If so, they’d backed the wrong horse. This was a man who’d had the stones to give two penalties against Millwall at The Den on Saturday, and besides there were no Reading fans in attendance to provide the intimidation factor. Just for good measure, he waved a third appeal away from the home team’s best player Andy Yiadom after he’d charged forward from left back and beaten two men on his way into another theatrical penalty box tumble. No card that time though, that would have been a bit much.
Reading: Walker 6; Gunter 5, Ilori 5, Moore 6, Yiadom 7; Bacuna 5, Kelly 5 (Swift 67, 5); Barrow 6, Ezatolahi 5 (McNulty 79, 5), Aluko 5 (Sims 65, 5); Méïté 6
Subs not used: Mannone, Blackett, Rinomhota, Loader
Bookings: Méïté 55 (diving), Ezatolahi 68 (diving), Sims 70 (foul)
QPR: Lumley 6; Rangel 6, Leistner 7, Lynch 6, Bidwell 6; Cameron 5, Luongo 6; Cousins 6 (Wszolek 82, -), Eze 6 (Scowen 80, -), Freeman 7; Wells 7
Subs not used: Ingram, Hall, Osayi-Samuel, Smith
Goals: Leistner 64 (assisted Freeman/Cameron)
Referee — Andy Davies (Hampshire) 11 QPR got a lot out of him. He laid his stall out early when challenges from Luongo on Barrow and Méïté on Lynch that were easily yellow cards were allowed to float past with a word on the run. Whether he’d have awarded the penalty for the handball on the line for Leistner’s goal we’ll never know — though as he didn’t book the player involved anyway we assume not. I’ve heard Méïté’s was a dive, it looked a penalty to me at the time. The other two were dives, and rightly ignored. Blew for half time ten seconds early, which I’m all in favour of, we’ve all got homes to go to. Overall, in all seriousness, maybe a 6/10.
Ipswich 0 QPR 0, Tuesday December 26, 2017, Championship
Josh Scowen had been harshly booked for kicking the ball away — at 0-0, after 18 minutes, not exactly prime time-wasting territory — in the first half by referee Andy Davies, a man who looked heartily pissed off with being asked to work on Boxing Day and determined to take it out on everybody else who was there for enjoyment with a maddeningly inconsistent and pedantic performance. Scowen had committed two fouls since then and been warned severely after a third when Ipswich finally put a move together that would have had David McGoldrick through for a winner had the self-styled ‘little rat’ not taken one for the team and hauled him back. Free kick awarded, second yellow card rightly administered, Scowen was off and Ipswich had a chance to win the game from 20 yards against ten men. Celina beat the wall, and Smithies, but missed the top corner.
Ipswich: Bialkoski 7; Iorfa 7, Chambers 6, Webster 6, Knudsen 7; Bishop 5 (Ward 42, 5), Connolly 6, Waghorn 6, Sears 5 (Celina 84, -); McGoldrick 6, Garner 6
Subs not used: Smith, Spence, Crowe, Kenlock, McDonnell
Bookings: Knudsen 24 (foul)
QPR: Smithies 7; Baptiste 6, Onuoha 6, Robinson 6; Wszolek 6, Bidwell 6; Scowen 6, Luongo 6, Cousins 6 (Osayi-Sauel 82, -); Freeman 8, Sylla 5 (Smith 80, 5)
Subs not used: Furlong, Hall, Lumley, Chair
Red Cards: Scowen 88 (two yellows)
Bookings: Scowen 18 (kicking ball away), Scowen 88 (foul)
Referee — Andy Davies (Hampshire) 5 Bit of a pain in the arse really. Pedantic and picky over minor offences, then waved away other stuff that obviously should have been given, often in the same passage of play. Sending off was correct, although whether a yellow card for kicking the ball away when it’s 0-0 after 18 minutes is really appropriate I’m not sure.
QPR 2 Ipswich 1, Saturday September 9, 2017, Championship
The first wasn’t without controversy. Massimo Luongo, for once looking fresh on his return from a long-haul international break with Australia, typified his powerful midfield display on the day with a surging run away from a crowded midfield area into the red zone — though he’d almost certainly handled the the bouncing ball to get it under control in the first instance, a fact missed by referee Andy Davies and his assistant but certainly not by Ipswich manager Mick McCarthy and his staff. Play was allowed to roll on and Luongo fed Wszolek who, as usual, picked somebody out in the penalty box for his cross rather than just slinging it over and playing the percentages. That somebody was Jamie Mackie, and he arrived right on time to sweep it into the bottom corner from 12 yards out.
QPR: Smithies 6; Baptiste 8, Onuoha 7, Robinson 7; Wszolek 7 (Wheeler 77, 6), Bidwell 7; Scowen 8, Luongo 8, Freeman 8; Mackie 7 (Lua Lua 82, -), Washington 7 (Smith 82, -)
Subs not used: Furlong, Manning, Lumley, Osayi-Samuel
Goals: Mackie 43 (assisted Wszolek), Freeman 49 (unassisted)
Bookings: Freeman 90 (foul)
Ipswich: Bialkowski 6; Connolly 6, Spence 6, Iorfa 6, Knudsen 6; Ward 5 (Celina 76, 7), Skuse 6, Downes 6 (Adeyemi 66, 7); Waghorn 5 (Sears 67, 6), McGoldrick 6, Garner 5
Subs not used: Gerken, Rowe, Kenlock, Woolfenden
Goals: Celina 89 (unassisted)
Bookings: Downes 34 (foul), Connolly 90+5 (foul)
QPR 1 Sheff Wed 2, Monday April 17, 2017, Championship
This one had much in common with the four that went before it. Again, Rangers were beaten by a single goal, 2-1 for the third game in succession. Again, as at Villa and Bristol City and at home to Brighton, it could reasonably be argued that they may have taken something from the same game on a different day — referee Andy Davies said no to two very reasonable penalty appeals from the hosts and Matt Smith missed a sitter. But, again, the scoreline was somewhat flattering to Rangers, who responded to yet another team selection riddled with changes with a confused, disjointed performance which Wednesday really should have overcome a lot more easily than they did.
There was good cause to feel aggrieved with Wednesday’s second on the half hour, scored by the excellent Pudil himself this time from close range after a tremendous Alex Smithies save had kept out a header from Jordan Rhodes. The free kick which led to it, awarded for a foul by Joel Lynch wide on the right touchline, was marched several yards infield by Ross Wallace to improve his crossing angle. Referee Andy Davies let him do it, then spent the rest of the afternoon meticulously placing and marking out every subsequent free kick.
Don’t think that referee Davies had played advantage mind. He was clearly waving the stone waller away, and he did so again three times in the second half when all three looked good shouts to me — one when Ryan Manning appeared to handle in the box, another when Jamie Mackie was involved in a three-way clash with Westwood and Pudil over a loose ball he’d seemingly reached first, and finally when substitute Matt Smith seemed to be fairly blatantly pushed by Tom Lees who had two hands in his back as a ball was played forward. Davies booked Reach for repetitive fouling, and Perch for his weekly attempt to end another professional’s career, but this was a poor afternoon of officiating overall.
A Freeman free kick (very carefully positioned by Davies) caused panic before half time and Jake Bidwell lashed over straight after the break when another set piece fell loose to him on the edge of the box.
QPR: Smithies 6; Perch 5, Lynch 4, Bidwell 4; Petrasso 4 (Lua Lua 45, 6), Robinson 6 (Washington 62, 6); Freeman 6, Luongo 6, Manning 5 (Smith 75, 5); Mackie 5, Sylla 5
Subs not used: Goss, Ingram, Wszolek, Ngabakoto
Goals: Sylla 20 (assisted Mackie)
Bookings: Perch 76 (foul)
Sheff Wed: Westwood 6; Palmer 6, Lees 6, Loovens 6, Pudil 8; Wallace 6 (Semedo 67, 6), Jones 6, Bannan 6, Reach 7; Rhodes 7 (Nuhiu 76, 4), Hooper 6 (Forestieri 67, 6)
Subs not used: Wildsmith, McManaman, Fletcher, Sasso
Goals: Reach 12 (assisted Pudil), Pudil 31 (assisted Wallace)
Bookings; Reach 61 (Repetitive fouling)
Referee — Andy Davies (Hampshire) 4 Not great. Sylla scoring when nobody noticed got him out of jail in the first half because he wasn’t going to award a penalty for the obvious foul on Mackie and he missed at least two further obvious spot kick — one for a push on Smith, the other the clash with Mackie — and possibly one at the other end too when Manning appeared to handle. That and the farce of the free kick placement for the second goal made it a poor afternoon.
Birmingham 1 QPR 4, Saturday February 18, 2017, Championship
Birmingham had posed the odd threat. Jerome Sinclair, on loan from Watford, must be wondering how Che Adams headed an early chance he’d put on a plate for him wide and later he had a deflected shot of his own clip the top of the bar on its way over. But the Blues were so obviously second best that even Paul Robinson, two weeks shy of his seventy eighth birthday and incapable of doing anything other than staggering around miles off the pace of the game and abusing the match officials, improved them slightly when he came on for the injured Keita after half an hour. The crusty old git was eventually booked by Andy Davies for repeated dissent.
Birmingham: Kuszczak 6; Nsue 6, Cogley 5 (Koyunlu 45, 5), Shotton 5, Grounds 5; Keita 5 (Robinson 31, 5), Kieftenbeld 4, Tesche 5 (Storer 82, -), Stewart 7, Adams 5; Sinclair 5
Subs not used: Legzdins, Gleeson, O’Keefe, Bielik
Goals: Nsue 90+3 (assisted Adams)
Bookings: Tesche 21 (foul), Robinson 56 (dissent), Storer 87 (foul)
QPR: Smithies 6; Furlong 7, Onuoha 8, Lynch 7, Bidwell 6; Manning 8, Hall 7, Freeman 8; Washington 8 (Ngbakoto 85, -), Smith 8 (Sylla 80, -), Wszolek 7 (Lua Lua 85, -)
Subs not used: Mackie, Ingram, Luongo, Perch
Goals: Smith 18 (assisted Freeman), Washington 47 (unassisted), Sylla 84 (assisted Wszolek), Ngbakoto 88 (free kick — won Manning)
Bookings: Lynch 50 (foul), Bidwell 82 (foul), Manning 90 (foul)
Referee — Andy Davies (Hampshire) 7 Birmingham have lost 8-1 on aggregate in the two games they’ve had with Davies this season and they didn’t seem overly thrilled with his performance in the first half but I thought he was ok, no complaints about the bookings, no big decisions wrong. Got conned by Manning a couple of times, but he’s a sneaky little git sometimes so that’s not that unusual.
QPR 0 Newcastle 6, Tuesday September 13, 2016, Championship
Jonjo Shelvey dominated this match completely from the centre of the Newcastle midfield. A talented player, only at this level through personality flaws, he’ll do that to a few teams this season. He set the tone for the night in the first 12 minutes — three nasty tackles, two rows with QPR players, one argument with referee Andy Davies who really should have booked him, one shot which deflected into the net off Perez who was flagged offside, one shot drilled just wide and then one shot into the net via two deflections to give his side the lead. Nice clear message stamped all over the game — we’re not here to piss about, we mean business, we’re already 1-0 up, what have you lot got?
Often in such circumstances you see the beaten team picking up bookings for frustrated tackles and kicks out at opponents — QPR didn’t even get close enough to Newcastle to commit a foul and referee Davies’ cards stayed firmly in his pocket. There never seemed to be any inkling that we should change formation, limit the damage, add a man to the middle of midfield, get some men behind the ball and at least try and hold out for ten minutes, maybe commit a few fouls to disrupt the play, or anything really. It was barbaric. Almost cruel. I honestly thought they were going to get double figures. Never mind not at the races, QPR weren’t on the same planet.
QPR: Smithies 5; Onuoha 3, Caulker 3 (Lynch 89, -), Hall 4, Bidwell 4; Perch 5 (Wszolek 18, 3), Henry 3, Cousins 3, Ngabokoto 4 (Sylla 57, 6); Chery 4, Washington 3
Subs not used: Borysiuk, Ingram, El Khayati, Shodipo
Newcastle: Sels 6; Anita 8, Lascelles 8, Clark 8, Dummett 7 (Hanley 65, 8); Gouffran 7 (Atsu 61, 7), Hayden 8, Shelvey 9, Ritchie 8; Mitrovic 8 (Yedlin 74, 6), Perez 8
Subs not used: Colback, Gayle, Diame, Darlow
Goals: Shelvey 12 (assisted Mitrovic), 48 (unassisted), Perez 30 (assisted Ritchie), Clark 56 (assisted Ritchie), Mitrovic 63 (unassisted), Hanley 79 (assisted Clark)
Referee — Andy Davies (Hampshire) 7 Nothing to really referee, with QPR rarely close enough to Newcastle to put a tackle in and commit a foul. Two borderline offside decisions, one given as a goal which looked about right, one disallowed which looked generous. Shelvey could easily have been booked in the first ten minutes but other than that he was essentially marshalling a procession.
Sheff Wed 1 QPR 1, Tuesday February 23, 2016, Championship
It looked like a typical QPR in the north evening was unfolding, and that feeling only grew immediately after half time when Grant Hall had one go at tripping Gary Hooper in the penalty area, failed, and Nedum Onuoha swept in to finish the job with an obvious foul for a spot kick. But Hooper, with ten goals in 11 matches prior to kick off, didn’t take the penalty himself and although Nuhiu’s record from 12 yards is apparently decent, his kick was tame and read expertly by Smithies who saved and held the ball down to his left.
The game seemed to be petering out into another stalemate until referee Andy Davies took centre stage. Phillips hung a lazy leg out and was booked, and Ross Wallace followed him — odd considering the two earlier fouls on Washington and Luongo in much more dangerous areas hadn’t drawn cards and Nuhiu absolutely hacked into Onuoha right on half time and again escaped further reprimand. Seemingly cold and fed up, Davies then made his way to the touchline with an ailment so troublesome (or a train home so early) it apparently meant he couldn’t referee the final ten minutes or so of the match. Fourth official Graham Salisbury creaked onto the field looking, and running, like the exhumed remains of Methuselah and, wouldn’t you just know it, was presented with a huge decision to make during five minutes of added time at the end of the game.
Rangers looked stretched to breaking point as Wednesday freed Lee into the Kop End penalty box for a final time, and Grant Hall’s desperate lunge looked like a fool’s mission to rescue the situation. Only the theatrical fall from the Wednesday player, and the distance of Old Father Time from the incident, can have counted in QPR’s favour — it looked like a stick on penalty at the time and the home crowd and bench were as happy as Graeme Souness at Jamie Redknapp’s birthday party when it wasn’t awarded. Carvalhal came onto the field at the final whistle to demand answers. We’d have been fuming too.
Sheff Wed: Westwood 6; Hunt 6, Lees 7, Sasso 6, Pudil 6; Wallace 7, Lee 7, Bannan 6, McGeady 5 (Jao 62, 6); Hooper 6, Nuhiu 5
Subs not used: Loovens, McGugan, Bennett, Helan, Lopez, Price
Goals: Nuhiu 63 (assisted Pudil)
Bookings: Wallace 72 (foul)
QPR: Smithies 8; Onuoha 5, Hall 6, Angella 7, Perch 6; Phillips 5, Tozser 7, Henry 6, Luongo 6, El Khayati 7 (Mackie 79, 6); Washington 6 (Polter 73, 6)
Subs not used: Chery, Hoilett, Ingram, Petrasso, Diakite
Goals: Tozser 57 (unassisted)
Bookings: Phillips 76 (foul)
Referee — Andy Davies (Hampshire) 6 (Graham Salisbury {Lancashire} 80, 5) Davies did ok, although it seemed odd that Phillips and Wallace were booked for their fouls in reasonably neutral positions while Pudil and Jao escaped censor for deliberate chops on Washington and Luongo respectively, right on the edge of the Wednesday box as dangerous situations developed. The home crowd were unhappy that he let Karl Henry get away with so much, but he rightly awarded them a penalty for Onuoha’s reckless challenge. Obviously the talking point for his late replacement was the final minute penalty appeal from Kieran Lee which looked absolutely blatant at the time, and still does now really although Lee probably convinced the official otherwise by falling so theatrically. Still looks a foul by Hall though, so for the second time this season Rangers have had the rub of the green against Sheff Wed from a referee.
Still just the one red card for Davies this season in 14 appointments. That came in Preston’s 2-2 draw with Bolton at the start of September and sits alongside 49 yellows so far, led by six at Bristol City 1-2 Sheff Wed. He refereed Stoke’s 1-1 draw at home to Brentford (the best team they’ve played this season) in the second weekend of the season.
Davies had only done 12 games up to Christmas when he refereed QPR at Ipswich on Boxing Day last season, but he squeezed in 31 appointments by the end with 104 yellows and six reds shown. He refereed Reading twice, both at home, both defeats — Swansea 2-0 in the cup, Sheff Utd 3-1 in the league.
Tweet @loftforwords
Pictures — Action Images