Referee: CRAIG HICKS
Assistants: Thomas Cooke and Kenwyn Hughes
Fourth Official: Richie Watkins
I like to think I’m fair to referees. I was angered the last time we played Wigan by a guessing assistant, and hopefully tomorrow, I won’t have any issues. Why? Because Craig Hicks is a ref I’ve liked for a while.
We first encountered him in 2013/14 when he officiated our 2-1 win at Salisbury. In 2016/17, he took charge of our 0-0 draw with Aldershot and the 2-1 win at Torquay early in the season, where he awarded us a second-minute penalty. He was promoted to the Football League in the summer of 2017 and was in charge as we lost 1-0 to Exeter City. He has been good to us since then in terms of results, overseeing our 4-1 win at Crewe in 2017/18 and the 3-0 win at Crawley during our title-winning season.
There was some controversy in 2019/20 as he failed to award us a ‘stonewall’ penalty in the defeat at Doncaster, with then-manager Danny Cowley feeling we should have had three. Likewise, when we lost 1-0 to Shrewsbury in 2020/21, I claimed he should have given us a couple of penalties, which he did not. He did seem to like to let the game flow, and in some instances, that saw petty fouls get missed or players get let off. Is that a good thing? I suppose it depends if you’re fouled, fouling, pushing or being pushed.
Our paths crossed in May 2021 when he was in charge of our Play-Off Semi-Final win against Sunderland, a memorable evening for all concerned. I felt he had a decent game then, and he did the same last season, as we won 2-1 away at Burton. In that game, I commented: “Craig Hicks, a referee I had no cause to talk about at all, blew the whistle and delivered us a much-needed three points.” He didn’t even get a mention the two more times we’ve had him; he was in charge as we lost 1-0 to Accrington, and we drew (somehow) with an excellent Sunderland side in the same season.
He did get a mention when we had him last at the Bank in our 1-1 draw with Plymouth in 2022. “I thought referee Craig Hicks was brilliant as well – he didn’t flash many cards, but he had great control over the game,” I wrote. In games since then, against Port Vale and Forest Green, there’s been little criticism.
There’s not a lot of point in looking at his data this season yet as a clear picture hasn’t built up, but here’s something of note – he’s never given more than three yellow cards in a Lincoln game. That’s not a pattern that should be ignored – in four matches this season, he’s twice given more than two, but never in one of our matches.
Worth noting for all you betting fans!
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