Referee for Sunday’s Clydesdale Bank Premier League clash with Celtic at Fir Park will be the experienced Charlie Richmond.
Somewhat surprisingly (and unfortunately as Charlie is regarded in football circles as one of the best and most popular around), it will the 43-year old whistler’s first Motherwell ‘SPL’ match in over twenty months. His last was at the home of local rivals Hamilton Accies, when ‘Well were held to a largely uninspiring 0-0 draw by Billy Reid’s men.
In between times, he has handed the Scottish Cup clash with Stranraer at Stair Park last February; Motherwell running out 2-0 winners thanks to goals from Steve Jones and Gavin Gunning and the 4-0 demolishing of Clyde in the Scottish Communities League Cup this season, goals coming from Michael Higdon, Nicky Law, Tom Hateley and Steven Lawless.
He oversaw another 0-0 draw some seventeen days previous to that Accies game at the start of 2010 when Motherwell and Falkirk drew a blank. The only real point of note from an otherwise uneventful game was the red card shown to Giles Coke for serious foul play.
Charlie has been a busy man this season, taking charge of eleven matches thus far. Included in that was SPL encounters at McDiarmid Park, when St Johnstone and Dundee Utd shared a 3-3 draw in the Tayside derby, and at Tynecastle when Hearts ran out comfortable 2-0 winners over St Mirren.
His overall record whilst taking charge of ‘Well games is a bit of a mixed bag. In the eleven seasons he has been officiating at the top level, Charlie has taken charge of 28 Motherwell games. The Steelmen have won eight, drawn six and lost fourteen.
34 goals have been scored whilst 24 have been conceded. 101 players have been cautioned, 52 shown to a player wearing Claret and Amber whilst two have been ordered off; the aforementioned Giles Coke versus Falkirk and Filipe Morais in a game against Hibs back in October 2007.
Charlie will be ably assisted by Graham Chambers and Brian McGarry with Crawford Allan on fourth official duties.
