Championship referee & match officials appointments for matchday 28

Matchday 28 of the Championship gets underway on 19th January and the EFL has revealed the referees who will be officiating each game.

With that in mind, Football FanCast has created a handy list of who will be in charge of each game this weekend, as well as their respective statistics for the season thus far, per Transfermarkt.

Sunderland v Hull City

Robert Jones

Championship action kicks off for the weekend on Friday night in the reverse fixture of the Boxing Day clash between Sunderland and Hull City – this time at the Stadium of Light.

And in charge of the game will be referee Robert Jones, who will be officiating his first Championship game of the campaign. He will be assisted by linesmen Ian Hussin and Wade Smith.

Jones is a frequent feature in the Premier League, where he has dished out a whopping 59 yellow cards in his 13 top-flight games, awarding three penalties.

Swansea City v Southampton

Oliver Langford

Swansea City welcome the high-flying Southampton to the south of Wales in Saturday’s early kick-off as the Saints will be looking to – perhaps temporarily – leapfrog Ipswich Town into second spot.

Oliver Langford will be holding the cards for this clash at the Liberty Stadium, and he will have the aid of assistants Hristo Karaivanov and Graham Kane working the lines.

Langford has overseen one game each from these two sides already this season, and in those games, five yellow cards were issued, while Southampton were the only of the two to come out victorious.

Blackburn Rovers v Huddersfield Town

James Linington

Blackburn Rovers welcome Huddersfield Town to Ewood Park in a battle among two of the lower-placed sides in the table. The Terriers enter the game worse off as they sit slumped in 21st, but a win for them would take them within touching distance of Rovers.

James Linington will officiate this one, with Andrew Fox and Robert Merchant manning the flanks. Jeremy Simpson will be the fourth official separating the dugouts.

Linington has officiated both sides this season. Blackburn have won one and lost one under the referee, with their win coming in December against Bristol City. Meanwhile, the Terriers’ only game with Linington in charge ended in a 2-1 away win against West Brom.

Bristol City v Watford

Andrew Kitchen

Although it has not been a consistent season so far for Watford, the Hornets remain in and around the play-off spots as they travel across the country to face Bristol City at Ashton Gate.

Referee Andrew Kitchen will be in charge of this clash and will have the help of assistants James Wilson and Nigel Lugg. Kitchen has only overseen one game involving either of these sides this term and it came in a 1-0 away win for Watford – a feat they will be hoping to replicate on the weekend.

Middlesbrough v Rotherham United

Darren Bond

Middlesbrough may have one eye on their Carabao Cup semi-final second-leg tie against Chelsea, but they host bottom side Rotherham United at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday.

Darren Bond will be keeping an eye on proceedings as Michael Carrick’s side will surely see this as a golden opportunity to close the gap on the play-off places.

Alongside Bond will be Matthew Wilkes and Akil Howson as linesmen, while Keith Stroud will remain on fourth official duty following his appearance on the touchline for Sunderland’s game against Hull.

Norwich City v West Bromwich Albion

Sunny Singh Gill

West Brom will be eyeing back-to-back wins when they travel to Norfolk where they will face Norwich City at Carrow Road on Saturday. The Canaries are not too far off the play-off spots and three points could close the gap significantly.

In charge of the game will be Sunny Singh Gill, who will have Jonathan Hunt and Greg Read working alongside him as the linesmen.

Neither side have played under Singh Gill’s watch this term, whose last game in the Championship came back on Boxing Day.

Plymouth Argyle v Cardiff City

Stephen Martin

Much like a number of sides in the Championship, Cardiff City remain within touching distance of the play-off spots, and will travel to a struggling Plymouth Argyle side this weekend.

Stephen Martin is the man who will hold the whistle for this clash and will be assisted by Mark Dwyer and Mark Russell running the lines.

Both sides have played twice under Martin’s watch this term, and there have been some mixed results. Cardiff have won one lost one, whereas, Plymouth have won one and drawn one.

Queens Park Rangers v Millwall

Robert Madley

It has been a season to forget for QPR thus far as they come into this game sitting second-bottom in the table, and they will face a big task when Millwall come to town on Saturday.

Robert Madley will be the man overseeing this London derby and will be aided by assistants Craig Taylor and Mark Pottage on the sidelines. Lewis Smith will be splitting the two managers on the touchline.

Neither of these sides have played under Madley’s watch this term, but they will have to be cautious with the 38-year-old having averaged over five yellow cards per game in the Championship this season.

Sheffield Wednesday v Coventry City

Anthony Backhouse

Sheffield Wednesday will have to be at their very best on Saturday if they are to get anything from this game as they host red-hot Coventry City at Hillsborough.

Anthony Backhouse will be the man overseeing this 3pm kick-off and will have Bhupinder Singh Gill and Carl Fitch-Jackson holding the flags on the sidelines.

Backhouse’s last game in the Championship came all the way back in November and it involved Coventry – but it ended in a bore draw with just two yellow cards being shown throughout the 90 minutes.

Stoke City v Birmingham City

Sam Barrott

Tony Mowbray’s tenure at Birmingham City got underway with a draw last time out. He will now be hoping to go one better when his side travel up to Stoke City.

Premier League regular Sam Barrott will have the whistle for this one, and he will have George Byrne and Robert Hyde working alongside him as his linesmen.

Both of these clubs have played under Barrott’s watch this term, but it is only Birmingham to have come out on top, with the Blues earning a 2-0 victory over Bristol City back in August.

Leeds United v Preston North End

David Webb

Leeds United’s push to return straight back to the Premier League continues on Sunday when they host Preston North End at Elland Road.

Although the Whites cannot move up the table, they could close the gap on the top three if they are to pick up a win at home against Preston.

And in charge of this clash in West Yorkshire is referee David Webb, who will have the assistance of linesmen Rob Smith and Matthew Smith.

Preston have been refereed by Webb twice this season and they are yet to win under the official. However, Leeds have won their only game under Webb, which came at home to QPR back in October.

Leicester City v Ipswich Town

Josh Smith

Perhaps what is the pick of the games this weekend in the Championship comes at the King Power Stadium when Leicester City face promotion rivals Ipswich Town.

Referee Josh Smith will be dishing out the cards in this one, and will have Matthew Jones and Sam Lewis holding the flags.

Only Ipswich have played under Smith this term, and they are yet to lose having racked up two wins and a draw in their three games under the Englishman.