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Referee
James Linington |
Referee James Linington can claim that every match in the EFL is an overseas appointment, requiring the short hop over from his home on the Isle of Wight.
He is a very experienced referee having refereed in the EFL for 12 seasons and is now part of the elite group of full-time referees to officiate Sky Bet Championship matches, titled as Select Group 2.
Mr Linington last refed Fulham in December 2021 when we lost 1-0 at home to Sheffield United in the Championship and he yellow carded three players all from Sheffield. Fulham had 71% possession and one shot on target.
A month or two earlier in the season, October 2021, Mr Linington refed us in the 4-0 away win at Nottingham Forest when he booked five Forest players and four Fulham players, Tim Ream (38,f), Denis Odoi (45,f), Antonee Robinson (69,f) and Harry Wilson (77,sim). Fulham goal scorers were Aleksandar Mitrovic (58, pen 67) and Neeskens Kebano (61), the other goal was an own goal in the 7th minute.
The previous visit of Mr Linington was for the 2-0 defeat by Brentford in June 2020. He booked one player from each team with Harry Arter from Fulham being booked for dissent in the 90th minute.
Ref Linington also bossed Fulham just before the lockdown when we got thrashed 3-0 at home by bottom club Barnsley. He booked two players one from each team, Joe Bryan, again, in the 29th minute for a foul and Halme for a foul in the 26th minute.
Earlier he refed the 2-1 home win against QPR in November 2019. He only got his card out once and that was for Joe Bryan for a foul in the 61st minute
He also refed Fulham in our 2-1 away win at Huddersfield even earlier in the season, in August 2019. Mr Linington booked two Fulham players, Steven Sessegnon (16,f), Alfie Mawson (58,f), and two Huddersfield players, Kachunga (62,f), Hogg (71,f).
Mr Linington's last game bossing Fulham, prior to our visit to the Premiership, was back in December 2017 for the 2-1 home victory over Brentford and he booked Liverpool loanee Sheyi Ojo for simulation along with two Brentford players for fouls.
The last occasion Mr Linington refed Middlesbrough was in February 2022 when they lost 3-2 away at Barnsley and he booked three players all from Barnsley.
His busiest game recently was the Derby versus Peterborough game in February 2022 when he yellow carded ten players and red carded two more, evenly split between the two teams.
Last season he refed 30 games and dished out 71 yellows and 4 reds, so a low average of 2.4 yellows per game. This season so far he has refed 27 games dishing out 117 yellows, an above average 4.3 cards per game, and 4 reds.
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