Birmingham City set for reunion with referee who 'mocked' previous captain and sparked manager meltdown
Birmingham City take on Bristol City in a huge match at the top of the Championship table
The EFL have confirmed the appointment of a referee that was once accused of mocking a former Birmingham City captain.
Chris Davies’ side returned to winning ways with a positive 1-0 win away at Preston North End but now face a real test of their promotion credentials against high-flying Bristol City in a challenging encounter at Ashton Gate. Heading into the match nine places separate the two teams in the table but things can quickly change in the Championship and there’s only a four point difference between the clubs at present.
The finest margins could decide the highly-anticipate showdown between the Blues and the Robins in the South West of England, and one figure that could make a significant impact is referee James Linington, who has not always been the most popular man in the West Midlands.
Birmingham City once reported referee James Linington after ‘arrogant’ behaviour
It’s now more than a decade since James Linington hit the headlines for after being accused of ‘mocking’ former Birmingham City captain Paul Robinson during a 3-3 draw between Birmingham and Burnley at St Andrew’s in March 2014.
Birmingham were deep in a relegation battle at the time and winless in 13 home matches under Lee Clark, when controversy struck in a 3-3 draw against Sean Dyche’s side in an eventful encounter. Robinson was booked for protesting after Michael Duff had put Burnley 2-1 up midway through the second half.
In a post match interview Clark told BBC Radio 5 live: "The referee rubbed my captain's nose in the fact that we were losing the game. That is unacceptable behaviour from an official and I will be wanting to take it further. He mocked him.
"Referees will make errors, I accept that, but I'm more concerned with the way the referee spoke to my captain when he booked him," added Clark in a heated interview with reporters.
"We felt there was a foul when Burnley scored their second. When Paul Robinson protested, the referee mocked him about the scoreline. There was a lot of arrogance from the officials. I was furious and I lost my temper. I am not questioning his performance, but he knows what he said and it is not acceptable in any walk of life."
Birmingham finished that season in 21st position and survived with the last kick of the campaign when Paul Caddis scored a crucial goal against Bolton to consign Doncaster Rovers to relegation.
Birmingham City prepare for huge test of promotion credentials
Birmingham City have struggled for consistency this season and now face the challenge of proving their promotion prowess against a Bristol City team that finished inside the play-offs last season.
The Robins replaced Liam Manning with Gerhard Struber over the summer after the former decision to leave for Norwich City, but have so far shown no sign of a hangover - picking up 19 points from 11 matches, leaving them sitting in fourth position.