Brendan in Charge

WILTSHIRE referee Brendan Malone is set to be the man in charge for our Sky Bet League 2 fixture against Mansfield this Saturday.

Brendan who is in his 10th season as a professional referee has already officiated one game at Home Park this season - and what a game it was.  

Malone was the referee for our landmark 5,000 game when we played Exeter City back in October, beating the Grecians 2-0 in the Johnstone's Paint trophy. Malone had to take the players off the pitch when the floodlights failed shortly after half time, but the Pilgrims resumed to book their place in the next round. Two yellow cards were issued, both for City. 

In 2014-15, Brendan made two visits to Home Park, with Argyle winning each time. In one, Lewis Alessandra scored the only goal, against Accrington, and prior to that Brendan was a busy man back in August 2014 when we hosted Southend United. Malone handed out nine yellow cards with two of those being shown to Southend defender Cian Bolger early in the first half. Argyle, who picked up six bookings themselves, beat the ten-man Shrimpers 2-0, with goals from Alessandra and Reuben Reid. 

This will be the 11th Argyle game that Brendan will have been in charge of after first refereeing at Home Park back in 2010, for the visit of Brighton and Hove Albion. Our record is won five, drawn three and lost two with Brendan in charge - and we have won the last four without conceding a goal. 

This season he has already refereed 21 games and has issued 49 yellow cards and five reds along the way. The most recent red card came in his last outing when he refereed Argyle's promotion contenders Northampton Town in their match against York City, sending off Yorks’ Luke Hendrie in the early stages of the second half.