Fans of EFL clubs celebrate as controversial referee Trevor Kettle reportedly retires from officiating according to reports.
Gone are the days Kettle, who has been a ref for over 24 years, continuously riles up supporters, players and managers on a weekly basis.
When finding out who is named as the referee for Championship, League One and League Two matches, he is the one you’d least like to see as this article will show you why.
Back in 2021, StaffordshireLive issued a full piece on him, including the time that Oxford United manager Karl Robinson pointed out after a game in April, that seven yellows and a red were shown, with Kettle matching him for industrial language in a confrontation afterwards – but only one person got punished.
Trevor Kettle has retired from refereeing! #pnefc pic.twitter.com/xecHwbKc3C
— 𝕆𝕟 𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕤𝕖 (@_OnTheConcourse) July 16, 2022
Robinson’s take was that he would sit voluntarily in the stand the next time Kettle referees an Oxford game, just to remove himself from any potential flashpoints.
Kettle has a record and reputation established over a long period, whether it’s the amount of cards he dishes out or some poor decision making, but in fairness to him, he is said to be a ‘decent bloke off the pitch, a capable and customer-focused commercial director of a business’ too.
But it’s got to be said there is no referee in the lower leagues who attracts more fury than Kettle, even an online petition demanded his removal from the list of officials in the EFL.
Kettle’s first season in the Conference, in 2002-03, set the tone, handing out seven red cards in only 10 matches, to go with 40 bookings, however despite this, he was promoted to the Football League list and he had 131 yellows and 13 reds in 28 games the following season, hitting three doubles with the reds and recording his first double figures game for yellows, 11 shared between Scunthorpe United and Rochdale in a 2-2 draw: “Officiating straight out of the draw marked ‘fussy’,” reported the Manchester Evening News. There were another 10 yellows when Derby County beat Cardiff City 2-1 in 2005.
Fast forward to the season just gone and this is how many reds and yellows were brandished from his pocket.
EFL CUP Tue 10 Aug 2021
Cambridge U 0 – 0 Swindon – 3 yellows
LEAGUE TWO Sat 14 Aug 2021
Colchester 0 – 1 Northampton – 3 yellows – 1 red
LEAGUE ONE Tue 17 Aug 2021
Portsmouth 1 – 0 Shrewsbury – 2 yellows
LEAGUE TWO Sat 21 Aug 2021
Harrogate 2 – 1 Barrow – 4 yellows
LEAGUE TWO Sat 28 Aug 2021
Scunthorpe 1 – 0 Tranmere – 4 yellows
LEAGUE TWO Sat 11 Sep 2021
Sutton Utd 2 – 1 Stevenage – 4 yellows – 1 red
FOOTBALL LEAGUE TROPHY Tue 14 Sep 2021
Leyton Orient 1 – 0 Southampton U21 – 3 yellows
LEAGUE ONE Sat 25 Sep 2021
Plymouth 2 – 1 Doncaster – 10 yellows
FOOTBALL LEAGUE TROPHY Tue 05 Oct 2021
Gillingham 0 – 2 Ipswich – 4 yellows
LEAGUE TWO Sat 09 Oct 2021
Walsall 2 – 1 Salford – 4 yellows
LEAGUE TWO Sat 16 Oct 2021
Exeter 2 – 2 Newport Co – 3 yellows
LEAGUE TWO Sat 30 Oct 2021
Crawley 1 – 4 Port Vale – 2 yellows – 1 red
FA CUP Sat 06 Nov 2021
Crewe 0 – 3 Swindon – 3 yellows
FOOTBALL LEAGUE TROPHY Tue 09 Nov 2021
Sheff Wed 4 – 0 Harrogate – 2 yellows – 1 red
LEAGUE ONE Sat 13 Nov 2021
Burton 0 – 1 Charlton – 5 yellows – 2 red
LEAGUE TWO Sat 20 Nov 2021
Stevenage 1 – 0 Colchester – 6 yellows
LEAGUE ONE Sat 11 Dec 2021
Wigan 1 – 1 Ipswich – 4 yellows
LEAGUE ONE Sat 18 Dec 2021
Cambridge U 0 – 1 Rotherham – 3 yellows
LEAGUE ONE Wed 29 Dec 2021
Oxford 3 – 0 AFC W’bledon – 5 yellows
LEAGUE TWO Tue 15 Mar 2022
Forest Green 1 – 1 Leyton Orient – 3 yellows
LEAGUE TWO Sat 26 Mar 2022
Crawley 1 – 0 Rochdale – 1 yellow
LEAGUE TWO Tue 29 Mar 2022
Hartlepool 2 – 2 Mansfield – 3 yellows
LEAGUE ONE Fri 15 Apr 2022
Portsmouth 3 – 2 Lincoln – 2 yellows
LEAGUE ONE Sat 30 Apr 2022
Oxford 1 – 1 Doncaster – 1 yellow
Games: 24 – Yellows: 84 – Reds: 6
As mentioned, fans of EFL clubs celebrate as the controversial referee reportedly retires from officiating, see some of his decision making below…
@ProDrugDealer83: Good, he’s been off the boil for a while
@mhonor05: That’s better than a signing
@AndrewT8155: Hallelujah
@17Davenport: Thank fuck for that
@toddmustgo: Hopefully Drysdale will follow suit.
@Tez1995: Fucking brilliant news
@NeilGrainger73: Can’t he get Drysdale to follow him?!
@paulg1977: Thanks for everything Trev, it’s not been a pleasure! #rufc
@Charliegeorgef1: Always thought he was a bit hot and cold at times
@GulliverMick: He won’t be missed.
@misterphill19: Thank heavens for that!
@Wiggy_Cut: Worst ref iv ever seen in over 20 years of watching the game. Abysmal
@BedfordHatter: 30 years late but good news🤣
@SeanNTFC: Bloody music to my ears that!
@Bantam0045: Absolutely shocking referee. Now every club in the EFL has a renewed sense of optimism for the season ahead.
@JIMSKEE1: The worst referree I have ever seen, an absolute thoroughbred weapon.
@PaulChocky: He’s folklore in Rotherham for the wrong reasons. Sent 3 of our players and the manager off and gave Barnsley an equalising goal in the 9th minute of 5 minutes injury time despite the Lino saying it hadn’t crossed the line 🤷♂️
@markrodwell1970: Yesss fucking yessss. One of the worst refs to don the shirt
#oufc Oxford United boss Karl Robinson has decided avoid future contact with referee Trevor Kettle by voluntarily sitting in the stands for any U’s matches involving the official pic.twitter.com/yOGu6IU653
— BBC Radio Oxford Sport (@bbcoxfordsport) April 8, 2021
When will the FA realise Trevor Kettle is a terrible terrible ref? pic.twitter.com/XHbSosQbBU
— S▫️E▫️V (@00Sev) April 17, 2018
One we remember..
Nicholls v Trevor Kettle 😂 pic.twitter.com/Gw6TOdzcmL
— Oh When The Town Podcast (@OhWhenTheTown) April 7, 2020
How this wasn’t given as a pen I’ll never know. Trevor kettle must be the worst ref in the whole EFL pic.twitter.com/DcaqjoIz5L
— tom d (@dawsyyd) March 30, 2022
My mind has been blown by discovering that the ref who only gave a yellow for Dominic Blizzard’s legbreaker on Grant Basey in 2010 was none other than Trevor Kettle 😳 Of all the refs to be excessively cautious when dishing out cards ffs. Couldn’t make it up. #cafc pic.twitter.com/ps8upIvBea
— Nozza_ (@Nozza_) November 25, 2021
Trevor bloody Kettle
— 𝕆𝕟 𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕤𝕖 (@_OnTheConcourse) November 5, 2021
Trevor Kettle has retired from refereeing
Remember him?
He’s the one who blew for half time as a striker hit the back of the net 😲pic.twitter.com/CGVsKAAvIp
— LV BET_UK (@LVbet_com) July 17, 2022

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