Refwatch: Watford

[Far Canal]

Reading v Watford Saturday, 19 February 2011 15:00

Referee Peter Walton

Assistant 1 Peter Kirkup
Assistant 2 Andy Newbold
4th Official Graham Scott



51 year old Peter Walton is a Premier League referee and former player in the United Counties League. He is based in Long Buckby, Northamptonshire, the town which he played his football for. He lists his interests as current affairs and golf.
Walton began refereeing in 1986 in local leagues. He was appointed to the assistant referees' lists of the Football League in 1993, and the Premier League in 1994.

In 1996 he was an assistant referee for the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium on 11 May, when Manchester United defeated Liverpool with a late Eric Cantona goal.

Mr Walton scores an average of 2.36 stars on rate your ref

http://rateyourref.co.uk/referee/Peter-Walton

Card record (last 3 seasons):

2010/11: GAMES: 21 YELLOW CARDS: 69 RED CARDS: 8
2009/10: GAMES: 36 YELLOW CARDS: 91 RED CARDS: 6
2008/09: GAMES: 43 YELLOW CARDS: 97 RED CARDS: 3

Averages: Yellow Cards: 2.57 per game; Red Cards: 0.17 per game
(v low red card count)


Reading FC record:

Championship Tu 25Nov 2008 Cardiff 2 - 2 Reading 1 yellow card 1 red card
bookings Reading: -. Sent off: Bikey (30 mins). Cardiff: Bothroyd.
Premier League Sa 19Apr 2008 Arsenal 2 - 0 Reading 3 yellow cards
Premier League We 26Dec 2007 West Ham 1 - 1 Reading
Bookings: Reading: Hunt, Shorey. Sent Off: Gunnarsson (29 mins). West Ham: Green, Cole.
Premiership Sa 07Apr 2007 Reading 1 - 2 Liverpool 3 yellow cards
Carling Cup We 25Oct 2006 Liverpool 4 - 3 Reading 2 yellow cards
Premiership Sa 23Sep 2006 Reading 1 - 1 Man Utd
Championship Sa 18Mar 2006 Reading 1 - 1 Wolves 4 yellow cards
English FA Cup Tu 07Feb 2006 Birmingham 2 - 1 Reading 1 yellow card
Football League Div 1 Sa 29Nov 2003 Reading 2 - 1 Watford 1 yellow card
Football League Div 1 Sa 04Oct 2003 Reading 2 - 2 Bradford 5 yellow cards
Football League Div 1 Sa 09Nov 2002 Gillingham 0 - 1 Reading 3 yellow cards
Football League Div 2 Tu 01Jan 2002 Reading 2 - 0 Port Vale 6 yellow cards
English FA Cup Tu 19Dec 2000 Reading 1 - 3 York 4 yellow cards
English FA Cup Sa 09Dec 2000 York 2 - 2 Reading 4 yellow cards 1 red card
Football League Div 2 Sa 14Oct 2000 Reading 2 - 0 Wycombe 4 yellow cards



Reading's Brynjar Gunnarsson is shown the red card by referee Peter Walton in their Premier League match West Ham at Upton Park Wednesday Dec. 26, 2007.


...and the same to you, says Mr Walton

[phil in cornwall]

Doesn't that record just show how we have progressed?

2000, 2002, 2003, then, whoops, WATFORD.

[leww_rfc]

Refwatch Farcanal.. forgiven though considering your persistant posts pre and after the matches

[Kitson12]

Brilliant, another "great" ref.

[Far Canal]

Refwatch Farcanal.. forgiven though considering your persistant posts pre and after the matches

Oops! Force of habit.

[RAF Royal]

Averages: Yellow Cards: 2.57 per game; Red Cards: 0.17 per game
(v low red card count)

Yes, but 2010/2011 running at over 3 yellows per game and 0.38 reds. Definitely gone card-happy compared to previous seasons.

And he's even older than me ...

[leicsRoyal]

Forget betting on the score, what's the odds on a sending off?

[Tad Showbiz]

Must be the only ref who doesn't book a Watford player for pushing Long 10 feet then immediately books Howard for taking a free kick when the Watford wall is less than 10 yards away!!

[paultheroyal]

If only he had the skill to delay the whistle for that peach of an advantage in the first half.

[bcubed]

Typical Premier ref at a Championship game - can't quite bring himself to run around much or to get too involved. It's all just a little beneath him.

[RoyalBlue]

Ridiculously over-officious yellow card issued to Howard.

At the same time he missed a blatant foul in the second half which fully deserved a yellow card. Shane Long had risen well in the centre to flick on a header to Church breaking free on the left side of the area. As Long tried to break free towards the edge of the area for the return pass, his marker stopped him from doing so by virtually pulling off his shorts, right in front of our prima donna PL referee. Amazingly no free kick awarded, let alone the yellow card that the offence warranted!

[ZacNaloen]

What do the rules say regarding the yellow card given to Howard?

[Handsome Man]

What do the rules say regarding the yellow card given to Howard?

I think they say Howard gets a yellow card.

[ZacNaloen]

I was more concerned by the justification when normally all you see is the kick retaken

[RoyalBlue]

What do the rules say regarding the yellow card given to Howard?

I think they say Howard gets a yellow card.

I'm not sure it's mandatory. I thought it was left to the ref's common sense and this one exhibited precious little.

If it is mandatory then an awful lot of refs should be in trouble for failing to observe it.

Another example of his quirky approach. Player goes down injured, he allows play to continue. When he eventually stops play he indicates it was because it was a head injury. It wasn't and if it had been, why didn't he stop play when it happened?!

[Handsome Man]

What do the rules say regarding the yellow card given to Howard?

I think they say Howard gets a yellow card.

I'm not sure it's mandatory. I thought it was left to the ref's common sense and this one exhibited precious little.

If it is mandatory then an awful lot of refs should be in trouble for failing to observe it.

Another example of his quirky approach. Player goes down injured, he allows play to continue. When he eventually stops play he indicates it was because it was a head injury. It wasn't and if it had been, why didn't he stop play when it happened?!

Howard's yellow card made me cross, because it made it seem as though you have to tell the referee before taking a quick free kick to stop him measuring 10 yards for the well - that can't be right.

He wasn't very good at all: at one stage a Watford player went down injured and Long almost landed on his head because Walton allowed the game to carry on around him.

[PieEater]

Howard has no one to blame but himself for that yellow, he was a total airhead.

The ref comes up to him and says wait till he blows his whistle whilst waving it in his face, then starts pacing out the 10 yds. Howard then decides to take the kick after ref's the second pace. An easy yellow for the ref to give, and no excuses for Howard.