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Salisbury to referee Cambridge clash
Written by Dan King
Michael Salisbury will be the referee when Newcastle United welcome Cambridge United to St. James' Park in the third round of the Emirates FA Cup on Saturday (kick-off 3pm GMT).
It will be the Lancashire official's first match as a referee involving the Magpies. Salisbury, whose father, Graham, was himself a long-serving league referee until his retirement last season, was one of four officials added to the Select Group 1 of top flight referees for the current campaign - just a year after he was added to the Select Group 2 list.
He took charge of his first Premier League game, between Crystal Palace and Aston Villa, in November. That was one of ten matches he's refereed so far this season - seven in the Championship, two in the EFL Cup - in which he has shown 34 yellow cards and five red.
Last May, he refereed the delayed 2019/20 FA Vase final between Consett and Hebburn at Wembley, while he also took charge of the League Two play-off final between Exeter and Northampton at the same stadium in June 2020.
On Saturday, he will be assisted by Mark Scholes and Geoffrey Liddle, while John Busby is the fourth official. Peter Bankes will be on VAR duty, assisted by Stuart Burt.