Man in The Middle - Stoke City

Last updated : 11 November 2008 By Duke
For this match we get a premiership referee, that being Mark Halsey from Lancashire.

Mark has been a Premier League referee since 1999.

He spent 12 years playing non-league football before he started refereeing in 1989.

In December 1984 he played one game for Barnet before joining St Albans City.

He has been a National List referee for the Football League since the mid-1990s.

In 2000, he was added to the FIFA List of referees, officiating in the Toulon Under-21 tournament in the same year. In 2001 he was a referee for the football tournament at the World Student Games in Beijing, and in 2002 at the FIFA World Disabled Championships, held in Japan.

In 2004, he took control of his first major FIFA appointment, the match between Belgium and France.

Last season he took charge of the Carling Cup final, which Spurs won 2-1 against Chelsea.

This season in 10 games in charge he has issued 14 yellows and 1 red card.

He will be assisted tonight by Nigal Bannister (East Midlands) and Andy Garratt (West Midlands).

The Fouth Offical is Scott Mathieson (Chesire)

The Soccerlinks Hit List English Football