Who is the referee for Huddersfield vs Sunderland?
Sunderland face Huddersfield this week, where they will be hoping to earn a third win from four matches. Who, though, will be the referee?
If you’re someone who generally criticises referees when they make mistakes, you probably also have to acknowledge that the officials have been pretty good in Sunderland games lately.
One exception would be Darren England’s strange decision to award Middlesbrough a free-kick, from which they scored, when Dan Neil was fouled at the Riverside, but generally they have been okay.
Sunderland will be hoping for more drama-free officiating at Huddersfield, where the referee will be Gavin Ward.
Who is the referee for Huddersfield vs Sunderland?
Gavin Ward is the referee for the game between Huddersfield and Sunderland at the John Smith’s Stadium, although he has not always been a good omen for the Black Cats.
Last season, Ward sent off Elliot Embleton at Hull (with him leaving on a stretcher with a broken leg) and awarded a last-minute penalty to Bristol City at the Stadium of Light, although the decision was absolutely the correct one.
Ward has officiated 15 Championship games so far this season, but only one of them involved Sunderland – the 2-1 home win over Rotherham in August.
He will be assisted by Lee Venamore and David Harrison, with Sam Allison taking Fourth Official duties.
Gavin Ward stats (23/24 season)
Championship Games: 15
Yellow Cards: 58
Red Cards: 2
Penalties awarded: 2
Gavin Ward record in Sunderland matches
Matches: 7
Sunderland wins: 2
Draws: 3
Sunderland defeats: 2
Notable Gavin Ward Sunderland Games
Ward only has comparatively few Sunderland games under his belt, with the majority of them coming in the Championship over the last 18 months.
That said, there have still been a good few notable games which has had him in the middle of.
Let’s take a look at some of them.
Sunderland 2-1 Rotherham (Championship, 19 August 2023)
Ward was the referee for Sunderland’s first win of the current season – a win which settled the nerves a bit after three defeats in three games to start the campaign.
Rotherham were the visitors but a pair of Jobe Bellingham goals, his first career goals, made it a relatively comfortable afternoon for the Black Cats.
Well, other than the two minutes that Rotherham had the lead through Hakeem Odoffin, anyway.
Sunderland 2-2 Watford (Championship, 29 April 2023)
This was the game where Sunderland very nearly messed it all up. A brilliant 2-1 win at West Brom had put Tony Mowbray’s men firmly in the driving seat to get into the play-offs with just two games to go.
However, Sunderland found themselves 2-0 down to a pair of soft set-piece goals at the Stadium of Light against Watford, and it looked a bit grim at that point.
Luke O’Nien hauled his side back into it almost immediately after they conceded the second before Patrick Roberts found a brilliant – and important – injury-time leveller.
Hull 1-1 Sunderland (Championship, 17 December 2022)
It was certainly an eventful one at Hull last season, wasn’t it?
Ward was at the centre of controversy when he showed a red card to Elliot Embleton while he was being carried off on a stretcher with a broken leg. It wasn’t a great challenge by the Sunderland man, but the red still seemed harsh, especially since nature had already dished out ample punishment.
Then Ross Stewart made his return from the bench after injury to give ten-men Sunderland the lead. Sadly, they couldn’t hold on and Ozan Tufan earned a point for the Tigers.
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