Anyway, on to more recent matters. We've only had to endure Mr McCurry once this season, back in November when we lost to Hearts at Love Street. The Jambos had Michael Stewart correctly sent off, although it needed the fourth official to point his offence out to the referee.
Our record last season with Mr McCurry makes for poor reading. We were denied a penalty in a 2-0 defeat at Ibrox and also lost to Hearts and Aberdeen, while we drew with Dundee United and Motherwell. I can't think of anything controversial, aside from the penalty claim, in those games. Things aren't much better from our first season back in the top flight - draws with Aberdeen (when the Dons had a goal wrongly chalked off for offside) and Kilmarnock and defeats to Dundee United and Dunfermline, the latter being an important game after the split.
Things begin to look up when you go back to the title winning season of 2005/06 - Mr McCurry did five of our games and we won the lot. Four came in the league - they were against Queen of the South, Ross County, Clyde (when Charlie Adam was allowed to score despite using his hand) and Airdrie United, who had Brian McPhee correctly sent off. We also gubbed Motherwell 3-0 in the Scottish Cup, which is hopefully a wee omen.
This will be the third time this season Motherwell have enjoyed Mr McCurry being the referee, following a draw with Hibs and a win over Inverness Caley Thistle. Aside from the game against us mentioned above, Mr McCurry only did one other Motherwell game when they beat a Kilmarnock side who were reduced to ten men. The previous season there were just two Saints games for this ref, a draw with Clyde and a defeat to St. Johnstone.
2003/04 also saw just the two games, draws with Brechin and Falkirk. There was only the one the previous season, but it was a thriller as Queen of the South beat us 5-3 in the Challenge Cup. Again, 2001/02 also saw just one Saints game for Mr McCurry, a goalless draw with the old Airdrie.
Our 2000/01 SPL season saw more of Mr McCurry and included the aforementioned game against Rangers. There were also draws with Hibs and Dunfermline and defeats to Kilmarnock and Dundee United. The Millennium Champions season saw wins over Airdrie and Falkirk but a defeat to Dunfermline in an important match (a recurring theme with this ref it seems!). The season before only shows up one game, a defeat to Hibs.
There were four games involving Motherwell and this official in 2006/07 - and they lost the lot. Amusingly, one was against a ten man Dundee United side and another was against Rangers (who were given a penalty but also had a man sent off). The others were against Hibs and St. Johnstone, the latter being in the Scottish Cup. Things were better for them the previous season - an entertaining 4-4 draw with Celtic, a win over Dunfermline and draws with Falkirk, Hibs and ten man Dundee United. There was also a cup win over ten man Hamilton Accies and the previously mentioned Scottish Cup defeat to Saints.
2004/05 saw two Motherwell games for Mr McCurry, a hammering by Rangers and a win over Dunfermline who had a man sent off early on. The season before also saw just two games, which were a cup win over Queen of the South and a defeat to Kilmarnock. 2002/03 saw four games - a heavy defeat to Livingston, a high scoring defeat to Rangers and a loss to Hearts, as well as a draw with Dundee. The previous season saw more of the same - defeats to Livingston and Rangers.
There were a few more Motherwell games for Mr McCurry in 2000/01 - a cup win against Queen's Park, defeats to Hibs and Aberdeen and a win over Hearts. 1999/2000 saw even more games - a win and a defeat with Dundee United, a last day win over Rangers, a cup win over Abroath (that needed a replay, with Mr McCurry doing both games) and a draw with Hearts. The year before saw a win over Hearts, a draw with Dundee United (when 'Well had Lee McCulloch sent off) and a loss to St. Johnstone.
Mr McCurry only sent off one player last season but he's shown six red cards this season. Interestingly, the dismissal of McCulloch ten years ago is the only time he seems to have sent off a Saints player or someone in 'Well colours. Will that run continue on Saturday?