Saturday's match at Walsall will be looked after by Michael Oliver (Northumberland). Michael is one of the youngest referees on the circuit and is just 22 years old. He comes though with plenty of experience in the family - father Clive is also on the Football League's referee list. Unsurprisingly, Michael is the youngest referee in the Football League and is regarded as a potential high-flyer given the head start he has got on many of his counterparts.
Whilst we've had Clive for a number of away games, this is - to our knowledge - the first time we've had Oliver Jnr take charge of a Yeovil match. Michael only joined the Football League's list of referees at the start of the 2007-08 season, having been an assistant referee prior to that. He made history in August 2005 when he assisted his father in a match between Rotherham United and Port Vale - the first father-son partnership in the history of the Football League. That match bizarrely saw both men head off to the game in separate cars, despite Michael still living at his father's home - Football League rules instruct officials not to car-share in case of any problems when travelling to the game.
Mr Oliver also gained a notable notch on his CV at the tail end of the 2006-07 season when he took charge of the Exeter City vs Morecambe Conference Play-Off Final at Wembley. His last match was the 1-1 draw between Chesterfield and Chester City last Saturday.
Mr Oliver will be assisted by Mark Hutchinson (Nottinghamshire) and Geoff Law (Leicestershire). The Fourth Official will be Nigel Smith (Derbyshire).
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7 February 2008 : 
