Wrexham’s next game is crucial, with the Red Dragons looking to put the misery of Tuesday night’s defeat to Stevenage behind them and get back in the title race.
Last time out, Wrexham fell to a dismal 3-2 defeat at the Racecourse Ground, with a poor performance to boot.
Phil Parkinson lambasted his team after the game, claiming they failed to show the qualities needed to get promotion.
That defeat has left fans fearing Wrexham’s promotion charge could be over, but a big result this weekend away from home would go a long way to alleviating those concerns.
We’ve already established who we believe will make the Wrexham starting XI for the game as Parkinson makes wholesale changes. But what about the man in the middle? Here’s who will referee the upcoming fixture.
Who’s the referee for Crawley Town vs Wrexham?
As per the EFL website, we now know who will be in charge for the Crawley Town vs Wrexham game on Saturday afternoon. Paul Howard has been chosen to referee the match.
He will be joined by assistants Andrew Hickman and Kevin Howick, while Alan Dale is on fourth official duty this weekend.
Paul Howard referee record in 2024/25
Paul Howard has taken charge of 15 games this season. Nine of those have been in League One, four in League Two, and two in the Carabao Cup.
Across those 15 games, Howard has shown 59 yellow cards, averaging out at a fairly lenient 3.93 per game. He has brandished just one red card so far this season.
| Statistics | Paul Howard (2024/25) |
|---|---|
| Games | 15 |
| Yellow cards | 59 |
| Yellow cards per game | 3.93 |
| Red cards | 1 |
| Penalties awarded | 2 |
| Fouls per game | 24.2 |
| Fouls per tackle | 0.71 |
Howard has awarded two penalties this season, the last of which was given to Wrexham’s promotion rivals Wycombe Wanderers on Boxing Day.
Just last week, Howard was in charge as another promotion contender, Huddersfield, fell to a defeat against Bolton.
Wrexham have never won a game with Paul Howard in charge
One thing Wrexham fans will be wary of going into this game is the fact that in four matches involving the Red Dragons, Paul Howard has never seen a Wrexham win.
Back in 2019, Howard officiated three Wrexham games in the National League. Those ended in a 1-1 draw with Gateshead, a 2-1 defeat to Dover Athletic, and a 3-2 defeat to AFC Flyde.
More recently, on December 29, 2023, Howard was again the man in charge as Wrexham lost 3-2 against Walsall in League Two.
The Wrexham squad has come a long way since then, so hopefully this upcoming game against Crawley can buck the trend.