The referee for the Papa John’s Trophy Final which sees Rotherham United and Sutton United at Wembley next Sunday will be Seb Stockbridge from Tyne and Wear.
Seb is in his ninth season as a Football League Referee after previously spending two years in the middle for non-league games. While a Football League Assistant he was involved in the Durham FA Referee Academy.
This will be the second time the Millers and Seb have met this season the first being the opening game of the season when Rotherham welcomed Plymouth Argyle to the New York Stadium. Freddie Ladapo put the hosts in front on ten minutes while Ben Wiles made it two twenty minutes later which is how the game ended. The only booking that day was to Dan Barlaser.
The time before this that Seb and Rotherham met was an away game against Accrington Stanley in February 2020 where Freddie Ladapo gave the visitors the lead on sixty-four minutes. A minute later Stanley were back in the game thanks to a Jordan Clark goal but a late goal from Ben Wiles gave Rotherham the win. Earlier that season he was at the New York Stadium for our six-one win over Bolton Wanderers – Thibaud Verinden gave Bolton an early lead but goals from Wiles, Ladapo (2), Carlton Morris (2) and Jake Hastie gave the hosts the three points.
November 2017 a League One game at home to Wigan Athletic saw Seb in the middle.. Will Grigg opened the scoring for the visitors with David Ball getting the equaliser two minutes later. Alex Bruce put Wigan back in front on the twenty-sixth minute and Michael Jacobs made it three-one on the hour mark. Richard Wood, Michael Ihiekwe and Richie Towell got yellow cards for the Millers that afternoon . A month earlier Seb had been in the middle for our three-all draw at the Kassam Stadium. The Millers went in front with a Joe Newell goal on twenty minutes only for Jack Payne equalising for Oxford a minute later. Josh Ruffles put the hosts in front on the half-hour mark and Curtis Nelson made it three-one ten minutes later. Just before half-time Ryan Williams made it three-two with Kieffer Moore getting the equaliser for the visitors twelve minutes before the whistle went. And, in the August of that season Seb was at the New York Stadium for our EFL Cup when Lincoln City were in town. Jamie Proctor opened the scoring for the Millers at the New York Stadium that evening but on sixty-four minutes Billy Knott equalised for the Imps. Anthony Forde came off the subs bench to give Rotherham a win and a second round tie away at Huddersfield.
Seb was in charge of the Millers in the same Cup competition before when Morecambe were the visitors to the New York Stadium. Cole Stockton gave the visitors an early lead and it took a Greg Halford penalty on fifty-nine minutes to get an equaliser. Nine minutes later Mr Stockbridge gave Morecambe a spot-kick which Jack Dunne duly put past Lewis Price with the Millers getting a second equaliser on eighty-one minutes courtesy of Jerry Yates. Two minutes later Rotherham went into the lead for the first time thanks to an Anthony Forde goal but on the stroke of full-time Jack Dunne got his second and Morecambe’s third to send the tie into extra time. Former Miller Kevin Ellison put the boot in when he put the visitors back in front on one hundred and thirteen minutes with Dunne getting his hat-trick and making it five-three five minutes later. Jerry Yates got his second but the Millers were out of the cup competition at the first time of asking losing five-four. Wakefield and Edwards saw yellow for Morecambe on the evening with the only yellow for the Millers going to sub Richard Wood.
The only other game Seb has been in charge of the Millers for was in League One in November 2013. The game was at the New York Stadium with the visitors being Colchester. Former Miller Marcus Bean put the visitors in front on seven minutes with Matt Tubbs equalised just two minutes later. Kieran Agard then put the Millers in the lead on twenty-two minutes and with the Millers thinking they’d got all three points Elliot Lee scored an equaliser for Colchester. Getting yellow cards that afternoon was Mark Bradley and Matt Tubbs of the Millers and the visitors Lee Garbutt, Cian Bolger and Elliot Lee.
Seb has been in the middle for thirty games this season showing eighty-six yellow cards and five red cards.
Running the line at Wembley we have Andrew Aylott and Lisa Rashid. The Fourth Official is Ben Toner and the Reserve AR is Daniel Flynn.
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