England · Second tier
Championship
The second tier of English football, and one of the most demanding leagues to predict: 46 matches a season, a packed midweek schedule and very little between the top and the bottom. The top two go up automatically and the next four play off for the third promotion place.
43 referees have taken charge of Championship matches this season or last. Below is each one's record in the Championship since 2021: cards and fouls a match against the league average of the same seasons, and over 2.5.
This season (2026/2027) the Championship averages 4.23 cards and 21.5 fouls a match.
| Referee | Cards | vs league | Matches | Fouls | Over 2.5 | This season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruebyn Ricardo | 5.61 | +1.46 | 30 | 22.5 | 43% | 5 |
| Elliot Bell | 4.68 | +0.53 | 22 | 22.4 | 46% | 5 |
| Robert Madley | 4.68 | +0.57 | 64 | 21.4 | 48% | 4 |
| Tim Robinson | 4.64 | +0.66 | 88 | 22.4 | 46% | 6 |
| Matt Donohue | 4.61 | +0.56 | 141 | 22.8 | 43% | 5 |
| Stephen Martin | 4.59 | +0.46 | 77 | 23.0 | 42% | 4 |
| Leigh Doughty | 4.54 | +0.51 | 98 | 22.1 | 52% | 0 |
| John Brooks | 4.48 | +0.50 | 23 | 23.3 | 39% | 0 |
| Anthony Backhouse | 4.47 | +0.32 | 60 | 21.6 | 53% | 5 |
| Ben Toner | 4.44 | +0.31 | 41 | 24.7 | 46% | 0 |
| Simon Hooper | 4.38 | +0.36 | 21 | 22.1 | 57% | 1 |
| James Linington | 4.35 | +0.32 | 109 | 22.1 | 47% | 0 |
| Thomas Kirk | 4.32 | +0.18 | 37 | 21.6 | 51% | 3 |
| Joshua Smith | 4.25 | +0.19 | 132 | 22.2 | 55% | 6 |
 Robert Jones | 4.18 | +0.17 | 23 | 22.7 | 44% | 2 |
| Adam Herczeg | 4.11 | −0.04 | 36 | 22.5 | 56% | 6 |
| Tom Nield | 4.10 | −0.05 | 65 | 23.2 | 52% | 5 |
| Farai Hallam | 4.05 | −0.10 | 39 | 23.0 | 39% | 4 |
| Will Finnie | 4.04 | −0.13 | 27 | 20.8 | 59% | 4 |
| James Bell | 3.94 | −0.19 | 68 | 20.4 | 46% | 3 |
| Gavin Ward | 3.93 | −0.12 | 136 | 20.7 | 54% | 6 |
| John Busby | 3.93 | −0.14 | 120 | 21.0 | 48% | 5 |
| Lewis Smith | 3.88 | −0.27 | 55 | 20.8 | 47% | 5 |
 Oliver Langford | 3.87 | −0.21 | 128 | 20.9 | 49% | 6 |
| Tony Harrington | 3.87 | −0.15 | 39 | 21.0 | 62% | 2 |
| Samuel Allison | 3.85 | −0.30 | 66 | 22.1 | 39% | 5 |
| Thomas Bramall | 3.74 | −0.27 | 57 | 21.9 | 40% | 1 |
| Michael Salisbury | 3.49 | −0.50 | 37 | 21.7 | 49% | 1 |
| Andrew Kitchen | 3.34 | −0.82 | 82 | 22.7 | 45% | 7 |
| David Webb | 3.32 | −0.73 | 150 | 20.3 | 51% | 4 |
| Dean Whitestone | 3.32 | −0.71 | 115 | 20.9 | 44% | 0 |
| Samuel Barrott | 3.26 | −0.88 | 28 | 20.3 | 46% | 1 |
| Jarred Gillett | 2.95 | −1.07 | 22 | 19.7 | 77% | 0 |
| Under 20 matches in the league: these figures are mostly luck | ||||||
| Andy Madley | 3.87 | −0.18 | 16 | 21.4 | 63% | 2 |
| Ben Speedie | 2.93 | −1.24 | 15 | 20.5 | 33% | 5 |
| Tom Reeves | 3.82 | −0.34 | 11 | 21.5 | 46% | 4 |
| Edward Duckworth | 5.30 | +1.14 | 10 | 20.0 | 30% | 4 |
| Craig Pawson | 5.11 | +1.05 | 10 | 22.9 | 40% | 0 |
| Paul Tierney | 4.00 | −0.13 | 10 | 24.5 | 60% | 2 |
| Matthew Corlett | 3.00 | −1.14 | 5 | 19.6 | 60% | 1 |
| Thomas Parsons | 5.75 | +1.58 | 4 | 24.8 | 25% | 2 |
| Jacob Miles | 5.50 | +1.38 | 3 | 16.3 | 67% | 0 |
| Anthony Backhouse | 1.00 | −3.23 | 1 | 15.0 | 100% | 1 |
Sorted by cards a match, those with 20 or more matches in the league first. A referee's record is part referee and part luck: about half of a difference in cards carries over to their next matches, and goals do not follow the referee at all.
How much referees really change: our study →