Referee Nick Walsh will take charge of next week’s Scottish League Cup semi-final between Celtic and St Johnstone, it has been confirmed by the Scottish FA.
Walsh has been at the centre of a fair bit of controversy in Scottish football over the last 12 months.
Celtic coach John Kennedy was disappointed with his inconsistent officiating during a derby match against Rangers towards the end of last season.
This term his decisions during a match between Rangers and Hibernian were called into question, with the Edinburgh club subsequently appealing a red card issued to Ryan Porteous.
Most recently he had a shocker at Celtic Park in another match involving St Johnstone. He failed to send off Chris Kane after a blatant kick out at Cameron Carter-Vickers, before strangely dishing out a yellow card to the Bhoys defender. Kane had also raised his hands to the American international.
The referee’s handling of the situation left many perplexed.
Walsh has been heavily backed by the Scottish FA, however. He’s been given a number of high-profile appointments including last season’s Scottish Cup Final.
We can only hope he has a better match in the upcoming semi-final next Saturday at Hampden. It’s better for all involved when referees themselves don’t cause the headlines.
Frank Connor and David Doig will serve as the assistants running the line. David Munro will be in charge of the dugout areas as the fourth official.
In other news, Chris Sutton tells summer Celtic signing to “do better”.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
