Who's the referee for Bristol City vs Sunderland?

Sunderland will be reunited with a referee from one of their darkest - and most important - days in their history at Bristol City.

Michael Graham | Dec 15, 2023

Who's the referee for Bristol City vs Sunderland? /

There are days in the lives of any football club that are unmistakably pivotal in the course of their history, and at Bristol City this weekend Sunderland will be reunited with a referee, Stephen Martin, who was present for one of theirs.

Martin is certainly familiar with Sunderland having refereed their games in four competitions, but the standout was the 6-0 thrashing by Bolton that resulted in the immediate sacking of Lee Johnson and the start of the journey we’re all enjoying now.

Anyway, let’s have a bit of a closer look at Stephen Martin and his record when refereeing Sunderland.

Who is the referee for Bristol City vs Sunderland?

Stephen Martin referee — Stephen Martin has never really been a good omen for Sunderland... / IMAGO

Stephen Martin will be in charge, and that hasn’t always been great news for Sunderland.

To be fair, he only started officiating Sunderland matches 2018 just as everything was falling apart for the club, so we can’t really blame him!

Martin will be assisted at Ashton Gate by Mark Dwyer and Mark Pottage. Meanwhile, Scott Oldham, who Sunderland had a few run-ins with before, will be on fourth official duty.

Stephen Martin stats (23/24 season)

Championship Games: 9
Yellow Cards: 47
Red Cards: 1
Penalties awarded: 0

Stephen Martin in Sunderland Games

Martin has been refereeing Sunderland since the 2018 season so this will be the 13th time he has shared a pitch with the Black Cats.

It has been largely bleak too, including the 1-0 home defeat this season to Cardiff. There is also a penalty shootout defeat to Oxford in there and a 2-1 home defeat to MK Dons in League One.

Here are the three most recent games in some more detail.

Bolton 6-0 Sunderland (League One, 29 January 2022)

You know, if you look at the Sunderland team that day, you really do wonder just how on earth that result happened. It featured Dennis Cirkin, Danny Batth, Corry Evans, Dan Neil, Elliott Embleton, Lynden Gooch and Ross Stewart.

The three substitutes used were Jack Clarke, Alex Pritchard and Patrick Roberts, with Train Hume and Anthony Patterson unused on the bench.

Still, happen it did, and thank whatever deity you happen to believe in that it did. In some other universe, the alternative is playing out where Sunderland were not humiliated that day, Lee Johnson kept his job, Alex Neil didn’t come in, promotion wasn’t achieved, Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts didn’t sign permanently, and the club is still stuck in League One.

Sunderland 2-1 Birmingham City (Championship, 15 April 2023)

This one was played out in the middle of Sunderland’s huge defensive crisis at the end of last season and it proved to be a real battle.

Trai Hume partners Danny Batth in central defence and he scored the equaliser after George Hall had given the visitors the lead.

Amad Diallo bagged the winner, but a red card to Dennis Cirkin a few minutes later made for a tough last 11 minutes and didn’t exactly help with the defensive problems either.

Sunderland 0-1 Cardiff City (Championship, 24 September 2023)

Sunderland’s one encounter with Stephen Martin this season so far wasn’t a happy one at all.

In fact, it was a deeply frustrating afternoon in which Sunderland laboured to score and were then undone by a very late set-piece.

Annoying.

Stephen Martin record in Sunderland matches

Matches: 12
Sunderland wins: 3
Draws: 4
Sunderland defeats: 5
Sunderland players sent off: 1
Opposition players sent off: 0
Sunderland penalties awarded: 0
Opposition penalties awarded: 2