A look at the man in charge for this weekend's season opener
GAVIN WARD will be the man in the middle for the season opener against Yeovil at St James Park on Saturday.Ward is no stranger to the Grecians, having taken charge of ten City matches in the Football League over the past seven seasons. He also has previous experience of Exeter vs Yeovil, as he was in control of the Glovers’ 3-2 victory at SJP in 2011.
The experienced referee from Surrey has also been in charge of a City season-opener before, taking the whistle in the 2011/12 curtain-raiser - a goalless draw at Stevenage.
Most recently, Ward was in charge for Exeter’s 2-0 win over Newport in April, a match which saw the referee send off visiting defender Ismail Yakubu late on for a last-ditch challenge on David Wheeler. Ryan Harley converted the penalty to seal City’s victory.
Overall, Ward’s record in charge of the Grecians in the Football League reads three wins, four draws and three defeats – including the aforementioned reverse against Yeovil and the 1-0 defeat against Stockport at SJP in 2010, a match which saw the visitors claim their first win in four months.
Match Officials:
Referee: Gavin Ward (Surrey)
Assistant Referees: Richard Martin (Weston-super-Mare) & Richard Hulme (Somerset)
Fourth Official: Adam Bromley (Devon)