Rotherham United welcome troubled club Bolton Wanderers to the New York Stadium on Saturday and the man in charge is Sebastian Stockbridge from Tyne and Wear.
Seb is in his seventh 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.
The 2017/18 season saw Seb in the middle for three Millers games the last one being at the New York Stadium in November 2017 when Wigan Athletic were the visitors. Will Grigg opened the scoring on fourteen minutes for the visitors with David Ball equalising two minutes later. Unfortunately for the Millers further goals from Alex Bruce and Michael Jacobs gave Wigan the three points.
The first time that season Seb was at the New York Stadium was in August in the 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. This was followed two months later by a game against Oxford at the Kassam Stadium. Joe Newell put the Millers in front but just sixty seconds later Oxford equalised with a goal from Jack Payne. Josh Ruffles put the hosts in front on the half-hour mark and went further ahead just five minutes before the half ended thanks to a Curtis Nelson goal. The visitors pulled it back to three-two before the half ended with a goal from Ryan Williams and twelve minutes from time Kieffer Moore made it three-three getting a point for Rotherham.
Seb was in charge of the Millers in the EFL Cup again in August 2016 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.
This season in the six games Seb has had the whistle for he has shown nineteen yellow cards but no red.
Running the line at the New York Stadium we have David Plowright and Richard Woodwork with Ian Smedley being the Fourth Official.
