Meet The Ref - Latics v Rotherham United

Latics are at home again on Tuesday, relegation threatened Rotherham United visit the Brick, scheduled to take charge of the game is Merseyside based referee, Ben Speedie.

 

27 year old, Speedie, a former schoolteacher, made the step up from the National League to the EFL refereeing list ahead of the 2020/21 season.

Previous Games

During his first campaign in the EFL, Ben Speedie took charge of his first Latics game, a 1:1 draw away at Tranmere in the EFL Trophy, Harry McHugh scoring a 25-yard screamer and picking up the only yellow card of the tie.

Two other Latics game’s under his belt both came this season, our disastrous trip to the Toughsheet, Paul Mullin producing a moment of magic and curling one in from just outside the box, our only bright spot of that particular encounter.

Ben Speedie’s last Latics game was our New Years Day draw with Barnsley at the Brick. Dara Costelloe giving us an early lead on six minutes only for Adam Philips to equalise with 20 minutes of the game remaining, Luca Connell received a red card late on for Barnsley whist our solitary yellow card was awarded to Will Aimson.

Speedie by name and ‘speedy’ by nature, the happy whistle blower made a rapid transit to the Select Group 2 of full-time refs and can now be found primarily plying his trade in the Championship.

Ben Speedie’s Latics Games

Date	Competition	Result	Latics Cards
01 Jan 2026	League One	Latics 1:1 Barnsley	1Y
20 Sep 2025	League One	Bolton 4:1 Latics	1Y
10 Nov 2020	EFL Trophy	Tranmere 1:1  Latics	1Y

 

 

 

Ben Speedie Card Watch 2025/26

Games – 40

Yellows – 121

Reds – 5

Penalty Awards – 5

Wigan Athletic v Rotherham United
Referee – Ben Speedie
Assistants – Alex Bradley and Matt Jones
Fourth Official – Martin Woods

Grab a listen to the latest PWU Latics podcast featuring a preview of the Rotherham game

Meet The Ref - Latics v Mansfield Town

Latics are back in action on Saturday, an important fixture in the run-in to the end of the current campaign, Mansfield Town are at the Brick Community Stadium, the referee for the game is scheduled to be Staffordshire official, Oliver Yates.

Ollie Yates made it on to the National List of referees back in 2016, his first game coming in the League 2 meeting between Yeovil Town and Notts County on the 6^th August, since making his debut he has taken charge of over 300 games.

Previous Games

Yates has been in charge of six Latics games previously, the last of which was our 1:0 home win in the Carabao Cup against Notts County earlier this season, he awarded a penalty which Paul Mullin dispatched to send us through in a one-nil victory.

He has also refereed us in our customary home defeat to Reading in March 2025 and away at Donny in the EFL Trophy back in 2024, a 1:1 draw on the night but going out the competition in a penalty shoot out.

The other three all came in League One, two away, Charlton, Wimbledon and on the 7^th November 2023 Yates was at the DW Stadium for our 2:1 win over Peterborough, Sessegnon, Lang and Godo picking up yellows in that game.

Ollie Yates’ Latics Games

Date	Competition	Result	Latics Cards
12 Aug 2026	EFL Cup	Latics 1:0 Notts County	4
01 Mar 2025	League One	Latics 1:2 Reading	0
16 Jan 2024	EFL Trophy	Doncaster 1:1 Latics	2Y
07 Nov 2023	League One	Latics 2:1 Peterborough	3Y
23 Oct 2021	League One	Wimbledon 0:2 Latics	3 Y
17 Oct 2020	League One	Charlton 1:0 Latics	4 Y

Oliver Yates Card Watch 2025/26

Games – 32

Yellows – 140

Reds – 3

Penalties – 9

Wigan Athletic v Mansfield Town

Referee – Oliver Yates

Assistants – James Tewson & Sam Clayton

4^th Official – Paul Marsden

Grab a listen to the latest podcast featuring a preview of the Mansfield Town game.

Meet The Ref - Northampton Town v Latics

Easter Monday sees the Latics make a trip to Sixfields Stadium to face Northampton Town in our fight against the dreaded drop. The referee for the game is scheduled to be USA official, New Jersey’s very own, Alex Chilowicz. 

The 39-year-old, relocated to the UK from the US in December 2023, he spent six seasons officiating in the MLS taking charge of 237 games in the American top-flight.  

Chilowicz, became a National List official in December 2023, his first taste of the English whistle coming in the League Two encounter between Sutton United and Mansfield Town, the Stags winning 0:2.

Previous Games

Alex Chilowicz’s has refereed the Latics three times previously, our 1:2 home defeat to Exeter City in February 2024, booking both Luke Chambers and Baba Adeeko, our away win at Mansfield in the 3^rd Round of the FA Cup back in January 2025.

Chilowicz was also in charge of our opening game this campaign against, ironically enough, Northampton Town, a Fraser Murray double and a Jenson Weir goal saw the Latics start the season off in great form and register our highest position in the table reaching the dizzy heights of 3^rd.

Alex Chilowicz Latics Games

Date	Competition	Result	Latics Cards
02 Aug 2025	League One	Latics 3:1 Northampton	0
10 Jan 2025	FA Cup	Mansfield Town 0:2 Latics	0
10 Feb 2024	League One	Latics 1:2 Exeter City	2Y

Alex Chilowicz Card Watch 2025/26

Games – 30

Yellows – 104

Reds – 2

Penalty Awards – 6

Northampton Town v Wigan Athletic
Referee – Alex Chilowicz
Assistants – Kevin Howick and Keiran Forrest
Fourth Official – Darren Wilding

Grab a listen to the latest PWU Latics podcast featuring a preview of the Northampton game.

Meet The Ref - Latics v Orient

Latics are back at the Brick Community Stadium on Thursday, a League One game against Leyton Orient, the referee for the game will be Birmingham based official, Tom Reeves.

On the National List since the 2021/22 season, Reeves, a graduate of Warwick University, spent five years as a PE Teacher before joining Coventry City’s Community team in 2018.

He is currently the PL Sport Manager working alongside former Sky Blues centre back and Head of Community, David Busst.

Previous Games

Tom Reeves has refereed the Latics six times previously, two of those games were against Crewe, a 2:0 defeat in the Pizza Trophy at Gresty Rd in October 2021, and a 2:0 win over the Railway Men in a League 1 fixture that same season, that game came in February 2022.

Back in August 2023, Tom, along with the Latics enjoyed a visit to the Toughsheet Stadium in Horwich, a four goals to nil victory for us that day. Reeves’ last Latics game came earlier this campaign in the Carabao Cup, a 1:0 home victory over Stockport.

Since that first game against Crewe in 2021, Tom Reeves next five Latics’ games have all ended in victories without us conceding a goal.

Tom Reeves 6 Latics Games

Date	Competition	Result	Latics Cards
26 Aug 2025	EFL Cup	Latics 1:0 Stockport	0
23 Nov 2024	League One	Barnsley 0:1 Latics	3Y
20 Jan 2024	League One	Latics 1:0 Reading	2Y
19 Aug 2023	League One	Bolton 0:4 Latics	1Y
15Feb 2022	League One	Latics 2:0 Crewe	1Y
05 Oct 2021	EFL Trophy	Crewe 2:0 Latics	3Y

Tom Reeves Card Watch 2025/26

Games – 32

Yellows – 98

Reds – 1

Penalties – 6

 Barnsley v Wigan Athletic

Referee – Tom Reeves

Assistants – Joe Larkin & Steve Durnall

4^th Official – Mark Cunliffe

Grab a listen to the latest podcast featuring a preview of the Orient game