Meet The Ref - Latics V Burnley - Mike Jones

Wigan Athletic Vs Burnley at the DW Stadium on Saturday will be refereed by Chester official Mike Jones who is famous or is it infamous for allowing Darren Bents beach-ball goal for Sunderland against Liverpool back in October.

Following that game at the Stadium of Light and a storm of controversy Jones had a little time out of the Premier League limelight and was demoted down to the Championship for getting the laws of the game wrong, former referee Dermott Gallagher said about the incident: 'It was a glaring error and it's difficult to fathom. Even referees in local parks should know that if there is an outside agent on the pitch then you stop the game and restart it with a drop ball.

Well Mike Jones apparently didn`t know but I`m sure that he does now.

The 41 year old whistle blower started refereeing because he was awful at football and sick of being left out at school when the other boys were kicking the ball around so he took to enforcing the laws of the game at the tender age of 15.

You almost feel sorry for him

Jones was promoted to become a league referee in 1997 and progressed to the Premier League in 2008 when he took charge of the Hull City Wigan Athletic game, in a recent interview with Refworld Mike was asked:

What is the best game you have officiated and why?

'The best game for a sense of achievement was my First Premier League Game between Hull City and Wigan Athletic.'

A 5-0 away win for the Latics that day and one that Jonesy will remember all his life, lets hope that today we get another great victory and that Mike Jones can turn out to be a bit of a talisman for us.

Card Watch

Mike Jones has refereed 26 games so far this season issuing 88 yellow cards and 4 reds.

No beach balls on Saturday please










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