The Manchester referee will get his first taste of the East Midlands derby when Derby County welcome rivals Nottingham Forest to Pride Park for Sunday’s televised encounter.
Establishing his name: Kavanagh, who has been refereeing since 1998, has more than 60 Football League games under his belt (Picture from Sky Sports)
Referee Chris Kavanagh will take charge of his first East Midlands derby when Derby County host Nottingham Forest in front of the Sky Sports cameras on Sunday.
The 30-year-old will be making the decisions at Pride Park for the televised lunchtime contest between the two fierce rivals in the SkyBet Championship (KO 12:00 GMT).
Kavanagh, from Manchester, will be have a team of officials from Lancashire – assistants Nick Greenhalgh and James Mainwaring, and fourth official Darren Bond.
The same assistants will be on duty, with Kavanagh as fourth official, on Tuesday night for Leeds United’s Championship match against Reading – which will be refereed by Geoff Eltringham at Elland Road.
It will be a 20th game of the season for Kavanagh – who is one of 18 full-time Select Group 2 referees primarily officiating in the Championship from this season in an attempt to drive up standards.
The Ashton-under-Lyne whistler has so far brandished 65 yellow cards and awarded three penalties but is yet to send off a player – a statistic which could change in what is likely to be an intense encounter between the sides separated by 15 miles across the Midlands.
Having controlled eight live TV games last term, this weekend will be his third appearance of the campaign in front of the cameras – after presiding over Bristol Rovers’ EFL Cup first round success over Cardiff City in August and Aston Villa’s 1-1 draw with Newcastle the following month.
Kavanagh will oversee his 13th game in the second-tier of 2016-17 so far and will certainly be hoping it won’t prove to be an unlucky number as he bids to stay under the radar during one of the Football League’s most fiery fixtures.
Half of his 36 games came in the Championship last season, during a year in which he proved his ability to earn a place among the 18-strong group of professional officials primarily officiating in the second-tier.
Kavanagh, who is being considered for future promotion to the Select Group of Premier League referees, has overseen a number of top-flight teams in cup competitions already this term.
Kavanagh also hit the headlines in October after sending Sunderland boss David Moyes to the stands during their fourth-round defeat at Southampton for swearing at fourth official James Adcock – who refereed Curzon Ashton’s FA Cup defeat by Wimbledon last weekend.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, Preston boss Simon Grayson expressed his frustration after Kavanagh admitted he had missed two penalties for his side in their 2-1 defeat at home to Newcastle.
Kavanagh was only promoted to the Football League in 2014 but has been to Wembley, as fourth official for the 2015 FA Vase Final between Glossop North End and North Shields.
He will encounter Derby for the third time – his first since their 2-1 defeat at Cardiff City back in April – while it will be his fourth Forest game with his most recent being their 2-1 defeat at home to Norwich in September.
Steve McClaren’s Derby have won five league games in a row to parachute themselves into the top half, while Forest are seeking a fourth successive win as their upturn in form under Philippe Montanier continues.
There has been a mixed record in the last five meetings, with two wins for each side and a 1-1 draw.
The experienced referee will handle his first east Midlands derby when Derby host Nottingham Forest in Saturday’s early SkyBet Championship kick-off.
Second-tier: Stroud has officiated 20 games in the SkyBet Championship so far this season (Picture from Sky Sports)
KEITH Stroud will take charge of the east Midlands derby between Derby County and Nottingham Forest this weekend.
The 46-year-old, from Hampshire, will be in the middle at the iPro Stadium for the televised Saturday lunchtime game (KO 12:30 GMT, live on Sky Sports).
He will be assisted by Jonathan Hunt (Merseyside) and Peter Wright (Lancashire), while the fourth official is Andy Madley (West Yorkshire) – who was the referee for last season’s corresponding fixture when Forest came from behind to win 2-1.
It will be the first time that Stroud has been appointed to a match in any competition between the two fierce rivals, separated by a mere 15 miles along the A52.
Although Simon Hooper did not have many flashpoints to deal with as Forest won 1-0 at the City Ground in November, they are usually incident-packed occasions with four red cards dished out in the last eight meetings.
But, with a wealth of experience to draw upon, Stroud should be the ideal man to keep a lid on matters having handled many high-profile fixtures in his career to date – including the east Lancashire derby at Ewood Park back in October.
Day one: Stroud issued six yellows, including one to Forest’s Eric Lichaj (pictured), in their 1-0 defeat at the AMEX Stadium in the first Football League game of the season in August
Stroud was in control of Forest’s televised games at Brighton on the opening weekend and Wolves in December, while he has only encountered Derby once in 2015-16 – in their 1-0 home win over QPR at the start of November.
It will be the eighth successive Championship game that the Bournemouth-born referee is involved in, with his last game in the middle coming last Saturday in Leeds United’s 2-1 win at Blackburn.
Boyhood Luton Town supporter Stroud, who belongs to Hampshire FA, has been a consistent performer on the National List since his demotion in May 2009.
He once sent off three players and awarded four penalties in an eventful 2-2 draw between Sheffield United and Brentford at Bramall Lane in League One.
Respected: Stroud is regularly considered for key matches across the three divisions due to his unrivalled knowledge and excellent fitness (Picture from Sky Sports)
The former Premier League whistler has officiated two top-flight games this season, with a view to being re-promoted to the Select Group list next season.
He was in control of Crystal Palace’s 2-1 win over Aston Villa in August, correctly disallowing a Palace goal for offside after Dwight Gayle’s shot deflected in off James McArthur following discussions with assistant referee Peter Kirkup.
Stroud also sent off West Ham defender James Collins with six minutes remaining for a crude challenge on two-goal Odion Ighalo in their 2-0 defeat at Watford in October.
Forest are chasing a third successive win over their neighbours Derby, who have only won two of the last five meetings at the iPro.
Both sides will have rookie managers at the helm for the 98th competitive east Midlands derby – with Derby head coach Darren Wassall and Forest’s Paul Williams, who replaced the sacked Dougie Freedman last weekend – experiencing the derby from the dugouts for the first time.
The two clubs have made the news this week, as Derby hope to bring in Harry Redknapp in an advisory role while Forest owner Fawaz Al Hawasi announced he would be prepared to sell the club for the right price.
As ever, up for grabs will be the famous Brian Clough Trophy – awarded to the winners of each derby, in memory of the legendary manager who represented both sides of the divide.
Nelson Oliveira opener cancelled out by Sam Byram strike
For the road: The 22-year-old has now scored nine career goals away from home – but his Leeds future remains uncertain (Picture from Sky Sports)
SAM Byram’s late equaliser gave Leeds United a share of the spoils against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
Forest’s top scorer Nelson Oliveira took full advantage of a defensive misjudgement to put the hosts ahead on 17 minutes.
Leeds bossed possession throughout and were rewarded when Byram – who could leave the club in the January transfer window – found the net with a low strike 10 minutes from time.
Forest carved out the better openings as substitute Oliver Burke struck a post late on but were denied a fifth straight home win.
A point took Dougie Freedman’s side up to 13th in the SkyBet Championship at the halfway stage of the campaign.
They are now a point and a place behind Leeds, who moved into the top half of the table after extending their unbeaten record to five matches.
Experienced: The 32-year-old – who was promoted to the Premier League with Blackpool in 2010 – worked tirelessly for Forest in the engine room (Picture from Sky Sports)
The Yorkshire visitors – chasing a third successive league win for the first time since February – had a fast start as Stuart Dallas fired wide inside 90 seconds after good work from Lewis Cook.
Forest – who replaced injured Spanish left-back Daniel Pinillos with Michael Mancienne – eventually settled amid the driving east Midlands rain but Leeds were the more accomplished in every aspect.
Byram was correctly booked for diving by referee James Linington after going over in the box on the quarter hour mark and – shortly after – his side fell behind.
A simple long ball forward by Matt Mills caught out Giuseppe Bellusci and, as keeper Marco Silvestri raced out of the area, Oliveira capitalised to slot home his sixth goal of the season.
Tap-in: The former Swansea striker was gifted the opening goal by a defensive mix-up (Picture from Sky Sports)
It was the only shot on target in a first half which saw Leeds enjoy 74 per cent of the ball but fail to provide the end product that their approach work merited despite the best efforts of full-back Charlie Taylor as an outlet down the left flank.
In front of the biggest attendance at a sold-out City Ground for 15 months, Forest defended resolutely and broke at every opportunity – with midfielder David Vaughan catching the eye with an all-action display.
A clash of heads on the stroke of half-time between Leeds defenders Liam Cooper and Scott Wootton, who required four stitches to a head wound during the interval, prompted an extended half-time break.
Fixed up: Wootton re-emerged for the second half with a bandage around his head (Picture from Sky Sports)
Forest came out quicker with Oliveira rifling a free-kick over from 20 yards after Cooper tugged his shirt before Chris Wood lashed off target following an indecisive moment for Forest keeper Dorus de Vries.
The hosts almost snatched a second when a downward Mills header was nodded off the line by Luke Murphy from skipper Henri Lansbury’s corner.
Both sides made changes on the hour mark as the booked Ryan Mendes – who had a torrid time dealing with Taylor’s forward bursts – gave way for Jamie Ward and Leeds’ Souleymane Doukara swapped places with Cook.
The introduction of Robert Tesche – in place of the ineffective Chris O’Grady soon after – saw Forest switch to a five-man midfield and a seemingly more conservative approach.
Rival: The ex-Leeds United striker remains undefeated against Steve Evans in four meetings in his managerial career (Picture from Sky Sports)
Although Ward’s dipping effort was tipped over Silvestri and Oliveira had a penalty appeal turned down, Freedman’s decision backfired as his side’s lack of ruthlessness in the final third proved costly on 80 minutes.
Byram – who scored twice in Leeds’ 3-2 win at Wolves in their last away game – linked up with Doukara before firing a crisp right-footed effort into the bottom corner from 22 yards.
A thrilling finale could have brought about a winner for either team as Wood screwed tamely into De Vries’ gloves from a cross by substitute Mirco Antenucci, who also sliced a Wootton cutback wide of the post.
At the other end, Forest sub Burke, on his first appearance since August, hit the post in the 90th minute with a bouncing shot after Bellusci blocked Ward’s effort.
It means Forest are now unbeaten in six encounters against Leeds, whose excellent form under head coach Steve Evans continues but it will face another stern examination when current leaders Derby County visit Elland Road on Tuesday night.
Impact: The former Rotherham boss has guided Leeds to 19 points in his 12 league games in charge since taking over (Picture from Sky Sports)
TEAMS:
Reshuffle: Jack Hobbs came back into the Forest defence with Michael Mancienne switching to left-back for the first time in five games (Picture from Sky Sports)
Substitutes: Ward (on for Mendes 62′), Tesche (on for O’Grady 68′) and O Burke (on for Vaughan 83′)
Not used: Evtimov (GK), Trotter, C Burke, Blackstock.
Simon Hooper will take charge of his second East Midlands derby when Nottingham Forest welcome Derby County to the City Ground on Friday night.
On the rise: Hooper officiated his first Premier League game on the opening weekend of the season when Crystal Palace beat Norwich at Carrow Road (Picture from Sky Sports)
SIMON Hooper will take charge of the East Midlands derby between Nottingham Forest and Derby County on Friday night.
The 32-year-old from Wiltshire will be in the middle when the fierce rivals meet at the City Ground as 19th plays fifth in the SkyBet Championship (KO 7:45pm, live on Sky Sports).
He will be assisted by Timothy Wood and Robert Massey-Ellis, with Geoff Eltringham on fourth official duties.
Hooper’s only other experience of this particular fixture came in Forest’s 1-0 home win in September 2013 when he issued seven yellow cards and sent off Rams defender Richard Keogh for conceding a penalty.
REFEREE Keith Stroud will take charge of Brighton against Nottingham Forest on Friday night in the opening match of the new SkyBet Football League season.
Highest level: Stroud has officiated 15 Premier League games in his career and has not sent a player off (Picture from Sky Sports)
REFEREE Keith Stroud will take charge of Brighton against Nottingham Forest on Friday night in the opening match of the new SkyBet Football League season.
The 45-year-old from Hampshire has been selected to oversee the televised Championship match at the AMEX Stadium which launches the 2015-16 campaign (KO 7:45pm, live on Sky Sports).
He will be assisted in West Sussex by linesmen Ian Cooper (Kent) and Daniel Leach (Oxfordshire) while the fourth official will be Brendan Malone (Wiltshire).
The vastly-experienced former Premier League referee Stroud was handed a trial game in the top-flight last term and booked just two players in an incident-free match between Crystal Palace and Leicester at Selhurst Park.
He also encountered Premier League sides in the Capital One Cup after handling high-profile ties at Anfield and the Emirates Stadium – and others involving Everton and Fulham the previous season.
The boyhood Luton Town supporter officiated 41 games across seven different competitions last term – giving out 183 yellow cards, sending off seven players and awarding 14 penalties.
Regularly considered for key matches across the three divisions due to his unrivalled knowledge and excellent fitness, Stroud took charge of 18 Championship games in 2014-15 as well as 10 in League One and five in League Two.
Regular on the box: 11 of Stroud’s games last season were live on television including his final three matches (Picture from Sky Sports)
He enjoyed another busy campaign full of important matches and was a consistent performer throughout including a controlled display in the East Anglian derby at Portman Road in August among other derby matches.
Stroud took charge of Watford’s promotion-clinching win at Brighton and the decisive third-tier encounter on the final day between Colchester and Preston with the hosts needing a win to stay up and the visitors requiring a victory for automatic promotion.
His efforts throughout the season were duly rewarded when handed the responsibility of a fourth play-off semi-final as Stevenage drew 1-1 with Southend in the first leg of their League Two tie.
However, he was the rare subject of criticism from Derby boss Steve McClaren after their 2-0 defeat at Wolves in a televised Friday night match at Molineux in which the Bournemouth-based whistler disallowed a Tom Ince goal and awarded Derby a free-kick instead of a penalty at 0-0.
Under pressure: Stroud is not afraid to make big decisions after being thrust immediately into the spotlight early into the first game of the new season by bravely issuing a red card (Picture from Sky Sports)
A few months earlier, he sent off three players and awarded four penalties on his previous trip to the Steel City in an eventful 2-2 draw between promotion-chasers Sheffield United and Brentford.
He is one of the most experienced in the Football League and has been in the middle twice at Wembley – for the 2004 Conference Play-Off Final between Aldershot and Shrewsbury and the 2013 League Two final as Bradford beat Northampton 3-0.
Stroud could be involved in the middle at the national stadium for a third time this term with the Kent-based official among the leading contenders for the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final.
The Hampshire FA Referee Developing Manager first took up the whistle in 1988 and progressed through the ranks to become a Select Group assistant referee in 2002 when he was appointed as a linesman to the 2003 FA Cup Final.
He became a National List referee in 2004 with his first Football League game being Scunthorpe’s 2-0 win at Cheltenham in League Two before impressing in a trial Premier League match between Middlesbrough and Manchester City in 2007.
Stroud, who belongs to Hampshire FA, was promoted to the top-flight at the start of the 2007-08 campaign but demoted back to the National List in May 2009 after just two seasons as a full-time official.
Following his debut in February 2006 when Blackburn welcomed Sunderland to Ewood Park, he oversaw a further 13 matches before being deemed to have fallen below the required standards of officiating and was dropped along with fellow referee Steve Tanner.
Last season’s Championship opener was handled by Andy Madley (West Yorkshire) as Blackburn came from behind to draw 1-1 with Cardiff at Ewood Park in a game watched by PGMOL performance director Howard Webb.
LAST FIVE FOOTBALL LEAGUE OPENERS:
The 50-year-old refereed the Football League opener in 2012 before being given his first Premier League game a month later (Picture from Sky Sports)
Never mind the excitement of the opening weekend in the Football League, Keith Stroud is often called upon to handle the raw emotion of agony and ecstasy on the final day of a season.
In the past four seasons, he has taken charge of matches during the last round of regular fixtures which have something riding on them in the battle for promotion or survival.
In 2011-12, Stroud was the man in black when Gillingham drew 1-1 at Northampton – a result which scuppered their hopes of a League Two play-off place.
12 months later he was in charge at the KC Stadium for a dramatic 2-2 draw between Hull and Championship champions Cardiff with the Tigers doing enough to secure automatic promotion to the Premier League. Stroud sent off Cardiff defender Andrew Taylor for two yellows.
In 2013-14, it was a busy end to the season for Stroud, who oversaw Burnley’s 2-0 win over Wigan which sealed their top-flight return before Brighton’s 2-1 final-day win at Nottingham Forest which guaranteed their Championship play-off place and Rotherham’s 3-1 play-off semi-final second leg win over Preston in League One.
And last term, the Dorset referee was at the helm for Colchester’s vital 1-0 victory over Preston which preserved their League One status and denied the visitors a second-placed finish. Stroud awarded Tony Humes’s team a penalty before their winner but Chris Porter blazed it over.
ELSEWHERE THIS WEEKEND….
Second-tier: Friend – who is in his seventh year as a Select Group official – oversaw five Championship games last term including Derby’s 1-0 win over Rotherham on the opening weekend (Picture from Sky Sports)
Premier League referee Kevin Friend will be in charge of Saturday’s televised lunchtime kick-off between Leeds United and relegated Burnley at Elland Road (KO 12:30pm, live on Sky Sports).
The 42-year-old Leicestershire official was in the middle for 23 top-flight games last term as well as the 2012 Community Shield at Villa Park and 2013 Capital One Cup Final at Wembley.
He will be assisted in Yorkshire by newly-promoted Select Group linesman Andrew Fox and Constantine Hatzidakis while the fourth official will be Football League whistler Richard Clark from Northumberland.
Sunday’s live match between promoted Preston North End and play-off final runners-up Middlesbrough at Deepdale will be officiated by Manchester’s Chris Kavanagh.
Although a surprise appointment, it is an early sign that the highly-rated 29-year-old could make further progress this term after receiving eight Championship games in his debut season as a National List referee in 2014-15.
He was also the fourth official for the FA Vase Final between Glossop North End and North Shields at Wembley Stadium.
WOLVES manager Kenny Jackett is targeting his 50th victory in charge of the Molineux club against Nottingham Forest on Good Friday.
Off the mark: Jackett says a quick start against Forest is essential if his team are to win (Picture from Sky Sports)
WOLVES manager Kenny Jackett is targeting his 50th victory in charge of the Molineux club against Nottingham Forest on Good Friday.
Three points at the City Ground could take the play-off chasing Midlands outfit into the top six depending on results elsewhere.
Former Millwall boss Jackett – who took over in May 2013 following the sacking of Dean Saunders – guided Wolves to the League One title last term which included a club-record run of nine consecutive wins.
“I’d be delighted to get it for many reasons, and it is our aim,” the 53-year-old said, according to the Birmingham Mail. “We’d always respect the opposition but we set out to win.”
Wolves won 31 league matches – including 17 of their last 21 – in 2013/14 on their way to clinching top spot in the third tier after back-to-back relegations.
They have already recorded 18 in the current campaign – and another win over Dougie Freedman’s Forest away from home would be the 50th under Jackett’s stewardship.
“To get my 50th win would be great; my time has gone very quickly, which is probably a good sign suggesting I have probably enjoyed it.
“I’ve been here almost two seasons, but it’s gone very quickly, and we’re really looking for that big finish to the second season now,” the Welshman added.
The former Watford midfielder has also enjoyed success in his extensive managerial career at Swansea City and Millwall, winning promotion to the Championship via the play-offs with the Lions in 2010.
Jackett was named League One manager of the year last term and claimed the Championship’s monthly managerial award back in August after a promising start to the campaign.
Wolves are currently eighth in the table, two points adrift of the play-off places, with seven games remaining but have lost just one of their last eight league outings.
On Wednesday, defender Richard Stearman and midfielder Kevin McDonald were both named in the Football League Team of the Month for March.
At the helm: Jackett is hoping to guide Wolves into the Championship play-offs in the final month of the season (Picture from Sky Sports)
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