Penultimate week for the Premiership, final week for the Football League... Saturday 5th May 2007 Aston Villa v Sheffield United (5.15pm) Match Delegate – K Hibbitt P Walton T Massey P Norman 4th Official – T Kettle PGMO – D Laws Everton v Portsmouth Match Delegate – J Bramhall H Webb A Garratt G Turner 4th Official – M Pike PGMO – A Wilkie Fulham v Liverpool Match Delegate – G Mackrell S Bennett K Pike C Sarginson 4th Official – P Crossley PGMO – K Ridden Manchester City v Manchester United (12.45pm) Match Delegate – S Barker R Styles R East I Gosling 4th Official – C Foy PGMO – G Courtney Newcastle United v Blackburn Rovers Match Delegate – L Ashurst M Atkinson S Procter-Green R West 4th Official – C Boyeson PGMO – R Pearson Reading v Watford Match Delegate – C Whitehead D Gallagher M Mullarkey D C Richards 4th Official – A Wiley PGMO – J Martin West Ham United v Bolton Wanderers Match Delegate – P Allen M Riley M Cairns R Martin 4th Official – A D’Urso PGMO – W J Norbury Wigan Athletic v Middlesbrough Match Delegate – D Dent M Clattenburg D Babski A Halliday 4th Official – R Lewis PGMO – J Worrall Swansea City v Blackpool 4th Official – S Attwell A Marriner J Holbrook M Scholes PGMO – P Rejer Wrexham v Boston United 4th Official – K Evans M Halsey G Atkins J Devine PGMO – D Shaw Sunday 6th May 2007 Arsenal v Chelsea (4.00pm) Match Delegate – N Cusack A Wiley A Butler M Murphy 4th Official – C Foy PGMO – R Gifford Leicester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers (1.00pm) 4th Official – D Whitestone M Dean P Kirkup R Pollock PGMO – D Hedges Luton Town v Sunderland (1.00pm) 4th Official – S Bratt L Mason S Artis N Kinseley PGMO – K Morton Queens Park Rangers v Stoke City (1.00pm) 4th Official – R Lee U Rennie J Linington A Williams PGMO – M Reed Monday 7th May 2007 – kick off 8.00pm Charlton Athletic v Tottenham Hotspur Match Delegate – J Morton M Halsey G Brittain P Sharp 4th Official – P Walton PGMO – R Wiseman Wednesday 9th May 2007 – kick off 8.00pm Chelsea v Manchester United Match Delegate – J Morton G Poll D Cann M Yerby 4th Official – M Clattenburg PGMO – K Morton Thursday 10th May 2007 – kick off 8.00pm Tottenham Hotspur v Blackburn Rovers Match Delegate – P Shreeves R Styles J Flynn A Watts 4th Official – S Tanner PGMO – W J Norbury
Many massively important games this week. Styles get the Manc derby, and Wiley the big London derby, with the title potentially settled after these games. The fact they're both derbies just adds to the occassions. Wiley has been the best performing referee this season, and is a gaurenteed pair of safe hands, especially after the Carling Cup final between the two. Not so sure about Styles on the Manc derby though. Elsewhere, Howard Webb has one of the games between two of the sides going for the UEFA Cup places, with Rob Styles the other, so two experienced officials for those games. Clatts, Riley, Bennett and Halsey all on games involving the relegation foursome. However, Clatts being from Newcastle, is likely to be taken off the Boro game. And in the Football League, Mark Halsey has the League 2, loser-gets-relegated-to-Conference game, which is a very, very wise appointment. Oh, and predictably, Graham Poll gets the least important game of the week, at the Bridge. Should be fun.
I see Dermot Gallagher is on Reading/Watford. I thought he was dropped from EPL matches this year because of some snafu last season? Am I mixed up, or was he reinstated for EPL duty or what?
Not sure what a 'snafu' is, but he was kept on past 48 because of changes to age discrimination law in Europe. However, he will retire this summer, so this is potentially his last game. Having said that, if Man Utd win the title this weekend, it's very possible he'll get to finish his career with the title celebration party at OT Sunday week. He's had an up and down season though, and it didn't start to well with the Ben Thatcher elbow on Pedro Mendes, and then the China/QPR free-for-all, but he's come back well, and is still probably the most respected referee still refereeing in England.