The man in charge of the Sky Bet League One match between Peterborough United and AFC Wimbledon is ANTHONY BACKHOUSE.
This season is the first season Backhouse has officiated in the Football League after being promoted at the end of last season which culminated in him officiating the National League Play-Off final between Tranmere Rovers and winners Forest Green Rovers.
Promotion to Level 1 National List of Referees made Backhouse the first Cumberland official in over 40 years to be added to the EFL list, whilst he also becomes the youngest ever from the county alongside being the youngest on the 2017/18 National List of Referees.
The 27-year-old has plans to make it to the top but he hasn`t achieved his target of the Premier League. He had aimed to make it to that level by the time he was 26!
Backhouse started his refereeing at the age of 14 and has taken charge of county finals and became one of the youngest officials to take charge at Wembley in that National League Play-Off final.
Backhouse was delighted to receive the news on his promotion as he said: “I was overwhelmed when I received the phone call informing me I had been promoted to the top level.
“Those who are close to me understand the huge amount I have sacrificed and compromised in order to achieve this level, so I`m just relieved that my hard work and dedication has paid off. I`ll enjoy the summer break, but will be training hard to ensure I`m fully prepared for the start of the 2017/18 season.
“Officiating at Wembley was a fantastic experience, but this news is icing on the cake. Once again, I would like to thank all those who have supported and guided me through my career so far, especially my family.”
Although this is Backhouse`s first season as a Football League referee, he has already officiated two Posh matches, both of which ended three-two!
The first match was at the end of September when Posh headed to Oldham Athletic for a re-arranged fixture. After a goalless first-half the Latics took the lead six minutes into the second-half but their lead didn`t last very long as Posh equalised from the penalty spot after defender Brian Wilson received his marching orders for the hosts. With the basement side down to 10-men, many assumed Posh would go on to win the match; how wrong they were!
The Latics went on to score two more goals inside the last 10 minutes of the match and although Posh pulled a goal back in the 90th minute, they couldn`t go on to take a share of the points. Five yellow cards were shown in the match alongside that red card with four of them going to the home side/
Fast forward two and a half months and we find ourselves with Backhouse officiating the second Posh match of the season but this time they were on the correct side of the 3-2 scoreline. It was another trip up north for Posh though and this time it was to Fleetwood Town.
The hosts lead one-nil at half-time but Posh hit back through Michael Doughty after 55 minutes. The Cod Army thought they`d stolen all the points though when they took the lead again with just eight minutes of the match remaining but for once it was Posh that struck late with two goals from Jack Marriott and Danny Lloyd! Just two yellow cards were dished out in this match with both sides picking up one each.
The match at the ABAX Stadium will be the first time Backhouse have officiated the Dons.
So far this season, Backhouse has taken charge of 27 matches issuing 87 yellow cards and seven red cards!
The last match Backhouse officiated was last weekend in the League Two clash between Morecambe and Forest Green Rovers. Rovers opened the scoring in the 13th minute but they couldn`t hang on as they conceded in the final minute of the match! Five yellow cards were shown in the match with four of them going to the hosts.
The last League One match Backhouse refereed was three weeks ago in the local clash between Oldham Athletic and Bradford City. The Latics scored in both halves with the second goal coming four minutes from time to give them a two-goal lead. The Bantams did peg a goal back two minutes later but the hosts, who picked up two of the five yellow cards issued in the match, held on for the victory.
The assistants for the match are Anthony Da Costa and George Warren. The fourth official is John Busby.
Peterborough United v AFC Wimbledon
Location: ABAX Stadium
Date: Saturday, 24th February, 2018
Kick-off: 15:00pm
Referee
Anthony Backhouse
Assistants
Anthony Da Costa
George Warren
Fourth official
John Busby
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE SCORE WILL BE? PREDICT THE SCORE HERE.
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Photo courtesy of www.football-league.co.uk and www.theposhpics.com.
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