Thomson to ref Rangers v Hearts
- adamhigginsuk
- Aug 5, 2014
- 2 min read
Familiar face: Thomson will take charge as Rangers face Hearts on the opening weekend of the eagerly-awaited Championship season (Picture from SNS Group)
CRAIG Thomson will referee Rangers' opening Scottish Championship match of the new season against Hearts at Ibrox on Sunday.
The 42-year-old will oversee the eagerly-anticipated clash as last season's League One champions take on the Jambos, who were relegated from the Scottish Premiership.
He will be assisted by linesmen Graham Chambers and Alan Mulvanny while Alan Muir will be the fourth official.
Thomson, who is also a solicitor, is widely considered to be the leading referee in Scotland and has regularly officiated in the top-flight since 2002.
A stellar list of high-profile appointments include his third Scottish Cup final last season between St Johnstone and Dundee United at Celtic Park, as well as three League Cup finals.
Domestically, he has also taken charge of a number of Edinburgh and Old Firm derbies while he has progressed on the international scene since being named on the Fifa list in 2003.
The Renfrewshire whistler went to the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine in 2012 but narrowly missed out on a place at the 2014 World Cup finals.
Last term, Thomson oversaw 39 games in all competitions, brandishing a massive 133 yellow cards and four reds and awarding eight penalties.
His first match of last term was the opening match of the new Scottish Premiership campaign as newly-promoted Partick Thistle drew 0-0 with Dundee United at Firhill on Friday night.
Thomson handled his first match of this season which passed without any incidents - or cards - last Saturday as Hamilton beat Arbroath 2-1 in the Scottish League Cup.
Calum Murray took charge of Hearts' 3-1 win over Annan in the first round of the Petrofac Training Cup last month while tonight's clash between Rangers and Hibernian will be refereed by John Beaton.
The Gers' championship flag and the re-named Sandy Jardine stand will be unveiled before kick-off at 13:30 BST, which will be screened live on Sky Sports 1 and HD1.
Last updated: 5 August 2014 11:34am
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