Referee: Seb Stockbridge
Assistant Referees: Jacob Lehane, Abbas Khan
Fourth Official: James Westgate
We’ve got all the two big hitters tomorrow; there is plenty for me to write about.
Firstly, Abbas Khan, the fourth official, is a name that you might remember. He’s running the line tomorrow, but he’s refereed a Football League game just once – our 0-0 draw with Charlton a few years ago. He came off the bench after the original match referee got injured and had a decent game. He’s usually a fourth official or an assistant referee, but I do always chuckle when he pops up. It’s a bit personal – for some reason when I bookmarked a site I use for reference, it saved the bookmark under his name, so he’s been lurking on my bookmark bar for years!
Then, there’s the match referee, Seb Stockbridge. He doesn’t know it, but we’ve had a love/hate relationship over the years. One decision he made almost got me thrown out of Notts County, but recently, I moved over to the dark side and realised he’s actually a really good referee. Tomorrow will be the 14th time he’s taken charge of one of our games, the most recent our 4-1 destruction of Mansfield Town. After that game, I wrote the following.
“I have to say, I am now a Seb Stockbridge fan. I went apoplectic with rage back in 2017 when he sent off Billy Knott at Notts County, but he’s proven to be a calm head in recent seasons. He’s obviously respected by players, few argued with him and I noted Bayliss (for one) shake his hand as he went off the field. I think there was one decision on 88 minutes where I thought ‘that’s not right’ and it was a free kick I felt wasn’t warranted.
“One decision. This game could have bubbled over, a big derby, the first in the league for years, and he handled it with a firm hand, respect for the occasion and to the letter of the law without being over-zealous. I’d happily have him every week on that performance.”
Basically, I’m delighted we have him this weekend. He’s something of a good omen as well – he’s taken charge of eight League One matches involving the Imps, and we’ve won four and drawn two; draws with Mk Dons and Hull City, and wins against the Stags, Wigan Athletic, Oxford United and Carlisle United. In fact, of the 11 matches he’s officiated involving the Imps since August 2017, we’ve lost just one, and that was the Notts County game.
He’s not quite as well-liked in Wycombe, with one player slamming his performance in October last season. Let’s hope Seb, always one of my favourites (wink wink) has a long memory. Just not all the way back to Notts County in 2017.
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