Acrimonious Reunion At Oakwell?

In a curious twist of fate, Iain Hume could be back at Barnsley by Saturday and playing in a match refereed by Andy D’Urso, the very same referee who officiated the game which nearly ended the Canadian’s life almost two years ago.

Andy D’Urso was in charge of Barnsley’s home fixture against South Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United in November 2008. The game saw an incident between the Blades captain Chris Morgan and Hume, which left Hume in intensive care and fighting for his life. A swift but firm elbow to the head by Morgan put Hume in hospital and the Blades captain received a yellow card.

Minutes earlier, Hume had begged D’Urso to protect him in a rough derby match, which had already seen Ugo Ehiogu and Anderson Da Silva dismissed for butting their heads together. A brutal and life threatening elbow to the head however, deserving of only a booking in the eyes of D’Urso.

Saturday’s fixture against Hull City is D’Urso’s first Barnsley match since the infamous clash with Sheffield United and the man in black has come in for some serious stick in the two years that have passed since the incident, not least from the Tykes’ former boss Simon Davey when he was in charge.

If Hume does return to Barnsley to take part in the match that will be covered live on television, he will no doubt have some questions for Andy D’Urso after the match.