FIFA ref for Liverpool clash

In 1998 Martin Atkinson was promoted to the Football League's list of assistant referees. This was followed in the year 2000 by elevation to the 'select group' of assistant referees. By December 2002 he was refereeing Football Conference matches.

At the start of the 2003/04 season, he joined the National List of Referees and did not dismiss any player from the field of play between August 2004 and October 2005.

He was appointed to his first Premiership match in April 2005 between Manchester City and Birmingham.

On13 August 2006 he took charge of the FA Community Shield match between Liverpool and Chelsea with the 'Reds' winning 2-1. In the same year he was appointed to the list of FIFA referees.

The most goals that have been scored in a game officiated by Martin Atkinson are nine. This was in the League Cup match between Liverpool and Arsenal in January 2007 with the Gunners winning 6-3. It was the first time Liverpool had conceded six goals at home in 77 years, and the first time that a single player had scored four goals against them at Anfield for over sixty seasons.

This season he has produced 63 yellow and 4 red cards in 20 matches; his last game was on 29 December between Manchester United and Middlesbrough. Out of the four red cards only two were straight red and both of these were produced at Deepdale against Wolves. Wolves were reduced to nine men with Iwelumo being sent off on 75 mins and Hennessey in the 90^th minute. Carter was booked for Preston but Wolves still won 3-1.

He has also refereed Liverpool once this season in a 0-0 draw at Aston Villa on 31 August.

Previous matches involving Preston with Martin Atkinson were:

11 September 2004 Preston 3 - 0 Stoke

5 December 2004 Wigan 5 - 0 Preston (Broomes & O'Neil booked)

His assistants for the Liverpool match are David Richardson from West Yorkshire and Richard West from East Yorkshire. The fourth official is another Premier League referee in Andre Marriner.