Meet The Ref - Sunderland v Latics

We're Back!

 

The new season is set to get underway on Saturday with a trip up to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland.

 

The first ref watch of this campaign sees former Premier League official, Bobby Madley in charge of the game

 

Bobby Madley

Madley rose quickly through the ranks and became one of the youngest ref’s to make it to the top, when in April 2013, aged just 27, he took charge of the Premier League game between Southampton and West Brom, this came less than two years after he made his debut in the Football League in the Preston v Notts County League One game in August 2011.

 

The 2013/14 season saw Bobby make it to the Select Group of referees and officiate in five top flight games, though he ended the campaign in the bottom tier with a League 2 encounter between Burton and Chesterfield.

 

In a recent interview Bobby explained how he got into refereeing:

 

 ‘I had played for a Championship team’s School of Excellence and didn’t quite make the grade. I returned to playing for my local junior team, Ossett Town, but had become a little disillusioned with the game.

 

‘I was advised to take the referees course which I did, along with my brother Andy who came to keep me company. I was 16 when I took the course and at 23 I was promoted onto the Premier League as an Assistant Referee.

 

Previous Games

 

Madley took charge of two Latics games last season, both away, he was the man in the middle for our trip to Rochdale in January, which ended 3:3 and the trip to Hull in May which ended in a 3:1 defeat for the Latics.

 

Just the one game for Sunderland in 2020/21, their 1:1 draw away at Fleetwood in November.

 

Following an incident in 2018, Madley was sacked by the PGMOL, however he was allowed back into the English game in February 2020, initially at grassroots level and subsequently onto the National List for the start of the 2020/21 season.

 

Bobby Madley Card Watch 2020/21

Games – 33

Yellows – 106

Reds – 4

Penalty Awards – 11

 

Sunderland v Wigan Athletic
Referee - Bobby Madley
Assistants - Joe Clark and Steve Wade
Fourth Official - Paul Marsden