 SHAMED World Cup referee Graham Poll, will take charge of Saturday's Goodison derby match - nine months after he showed two red cards and six yellows in last season's corresponding fixture. Poll was widely ridiculed this summer for his three-card trick, when he showed Croatia's Josip Simunic three yellow cards before finally dismissing him. But he has been no stranger to controversy in derby matches even before that World Cup clanger. Last December Phil Neville and Mikel Arteta were red-carded by Poll in a Goodison clash which the Reds won 3-1, while on Good Friday 2000 he blew for time, while Evertonians were celebrating what they thought was a match-winn e r. Goalkeeper Sander Westerveld had miskickeda free-kickinto the unwitting Don Hutchison's back, but before the ball could roll over the goal-line and into the Gwladys Street net, Poll blew the final whistle. Following his high profile blunder in the Croatia-Australia match in Germany, Poll started the 2006-07 season in charge of Colchester against Barnsley. He has taken charge of two Premiership matches to date this season, Arsenal's first match at the Emirates Stadium against Aston Villa and the Fulham-Sheffield United match, when he booked six players. Recent Merseyside derbies have been fractious affairs,with two reds cards and nine yellows in last season's Anfield clash, following two reds and six yellow in the corresponding fixture at Goodison. The season before, Milan Baros was red-carded at Anfield. Retired referee Jeff Winter said: "Poll is clearly still the most experienced and probably the best referee in the country. "Obviously he will be keen to put the personal memories of the World Cup behind him. "The fans will never forget and will always remind him but there's no better place to exorcise the ghosts of Germany than by taking charge of a Merseyside derby." Added Winter, who refereed just one derby at Goodison where he issued ten yellow cards and one red: "Hopefully there won't be too many cards on Saturday so he won't get confused." |