Taking charge of his first Preston North End game of 2019 this weekend is match official David Coote.
We haven’t seen the referee since he was the man with the whistle for the Lilywhites’ trip to Sheffield Wednesday just before Christmas last year, sending off Ben Pearson at Hillsborough.
The select group official, has refereed this fixture before, looking after the October 2017 clash with the Bees, as well as that season’s New Year’s Day game against Middlesbrough, his two North End games in 2017/18.
He was following two visits the previous season as well, including February’s 2-1 home win over Queens Park Rangers and also the first home game of the season when we took on Derby County in PR1.
Before that Rams clash, he last refereed the Lilywhites in their goalless draw at the New York Stadium against Rotherham United in 2015/16.
He was the referee of two PNE games the year before that as well. His first game of 2014/15 was the entertaining clash with Milton Keynes at Deepdale back in December 2014. He then took charge of the 2-2 draw at home to Gillingham in April of that year too.
In 2013/14 his two games in charge of North End were the 2-2 draw at home to Bradford City early on in the campaign and then at Tranmere Rovers’ Prenton Park for our 2-1 win over the Super Whites in February 2014.
So far this season, he has taken charge of just two games, Sheffield United’s first home Premier game, when they overcame Crystal Palace and Blackburn’s goalless home draw with Cardiff City – issuing four yellow cards in each fixture.
He will be assisted by Nick Hopton and Mark Dwyer, whilst the fourth official will be Ross Joyce.