Stuart Attwell has been appointed to referee Cardiff’s City game against Liverpool on Saturday 27th October at Anfield. It will be the first time he has refereed either side this season.
Stuart Attwell has the distinction of being the Premier League’s youngest ever referee, aged just 25, but is perhaps best known for his gaff in awarding the famous ‘ghost goal’ for Reading against Watford in 2008. The shot actually went wide of the upright, but was awarded as a goal by the linesman, which was then confirmed by the referee. Much to the annoyance of Watford manager Aidy Boothroyd (remember him?), who said it was akin to a “UFO landing”.
The last time Attwell oversaw the Bluebirds was on the 19th April 2016 at Griffin Park, where Brentford effectively ended Cardiff City’s playoff hopes with a 2 – 1 win. A game in which all three goals were scored in the final five minutes. Attwell waved away a strong penalty shout by Pilkington after a tussle with Harlee Dean, but other than that, Bluebirds manager Russell Slade could not offer too many complaints.
See below for an overview of his Premier League stats this season.
• 4 games refereed
• 18 yellow cards issued (an average of 4.5 yellows per game)
• 0 red cards
• 1 penalty awarded
Stuart Attwell is yet to issue a red card this season and has only awarded one penalty; in Bournemouth’s 2 -1 away win over West Ham way back on August 18th. He did, however, award an eye-watering eight yellow cards in that match, so is no stranger to the book when needed.
Anfield can be a cauldron at times and a raucous away crowd will only serve to ramp up the tension. Given Liverpool’s exceptional front three and Cardiff City’s suspect defence, there could be much for him to ponder this Saturday.