Wrexham travel to Barnsley for their New Year’s Day fixture in League One, and we now know who the referee will be for the game.
Last time out, Wrexham left it late to grab all three points against Wigan Athletic thanks to an injury-time Steven Fletcher goal.
Phil Parkinson praised Wrexham’s ‘mentality’ after the Wigan win, but insisted his team need to do better moving forward after a fairly lacklustre display overall.
While there’s plenty to fear about Barnsley themselves, here’s hoping Parkinson doesn’t have to worry too much about the referee on New Year’s Day.
Ben Toner to referee Barnsley vs Wrexham days after handing Huddersfield boss a red card
The EFL has confirmed Ben Toner will officiate the game between Wrexham and Barnsley on Wednesday afternoon. He will be supported by assistants Alistair Nelson and Danny Guest, while Garreth Rhodes will be the fourth official.
Toner takes to the field just days after a fairly chaotic outing for the Huddersfield versus Burton Albion game on December 29.
The match ended 1-1, but Toner actually handed out two red cards in the final moments of the game: one to Burton defender, Terence Vancooten, and one to Huddersfield manager, Michael Duff as he headed down the tunnel after the final whistle.
With Phil Parkinson’s propensity for dissent and shouting at the match officials, we could well see Toner giving another red card to start 2025.
Ben Toner’s record this season
Toner has refereed 21 games so far this season, with nine of them coming in League One, seven in the Championship, three in League Two, and two in the Carabao Cup.
It’s fair to say Toner is not apprehensive about handing out yellow cards, with a massive 108 given this season, and he is pretty quick to call foul, too, with an average of more than 25 fouls picked up during his games.
| Statistic | Ben Toner 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Games | 21 |
| Yellow cards | 108 |
| Red cards | 5 (including Michael Duff) |
| Penalties awarded | 3 |
| Fouls per game | 25.24 |
Toner brandished three red cards (including the one to Michael Duff) in the month of December, so there’s every chance a feisty affair between Wrexham and Barnsley on New Year’s Day could produce another.
That said, the one time he has refereed a Barnsley game, Toner only handed out four yellow cards, one of which was for the Tykes. They did lose that game, though, and Wrexham will be hoping for much of the same this week.