When Wrexham take on Reading in League One this week, it would be wise to expect a penalty to be awarded one way or another, as the referee for the game is giving them away freely this year.
Wrexham travel to Reading in buoyant mood after picking up another three points in a narrow win over Rotherham United at the weekend.
Birthday boy Sam Smith bagged the goal to secure the three points, and it was a result that puts the Red Dragons level on points with Wycombe Wanderers in the League One table.
Up next for Phil Parkinson’s men is a tough trip to Reading, with the Royals sitting just outside the play-off places in eighth place.
We’ve got a good idea of who will make the Wrexham XI versus Reading, but what about the man in the middle and his team of match officials? Here’s what we know.
Who is the referee for Reading vs Wrexham?
The referee for Reading vs Wrexham on Tuesday night will be Edward Duckworth.
He will be joined by assistants Harley Hetherington and Marc Wilson, with Richie Watkins as the fourth official on the night.
Edward Duckworth referee record in 2024/25
Duckworth hasn’t been all that busy this season, with just 18 games under his belt, but his games have been eventful to say the least.
He’s officiated 11 games in League One, plus six in League Two and one Carabao Cup tie. Across those games, he has given out 86 yellow cards at a rate of 4.78 per game — a very high average by any standard.
| Statistics | Edward Duckworth (2024/25) |
| Games | 18 |
| Yellow cards | 86 |
| Yellow cards per game | 4.78 |
| Red cards | 3 |
| Penalties awarded | 5 |
| Fouls per game | 24.83 |
| Fouls per tackle | 0.75 |
He’s also given out three red cards this season, with his last coming at the end of December in a clash between Stevenage and Bristol Rovers.
Most interesting, though, is that Duckworth has awarded five penalties this season, and three of them have been since the turn of the year. That’s three penalties in his last five outings.
He gave one against Mansfield Town which Northampton’s Cameron McGeehan put away for the winner in that game, one against Fleetwood Town in the game prior to that, and then another against Grimsby Town on New Year’s Day.
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Neil Harris described Edward Duckworth as ‘atrocious’
Suffice to say, then with the number of red cards and penalties Duckworth gives out, he has frustrated a few managers over the last year.
Looking back to January 2024, then-Cambridge United boss Neil Harris even went as far as to describe Duckworth as an ‘atrocious’ referee.
Speaking after his side’s 0-0 draw with Burton Albion, in which Burton’s Steve Seddon was sent off, Harris said (via FotMob): “I thought the referee got the decision right, it was a second yellow card. I thought the referee was atrocious. He caused a lot of the problems.
“It was disappointing but that didn’t stop us winning the game. Not winning the game was down to our decision-making.”
Then, in January of this year, it was suggested Duckworth gave a penalty against Grimsby Town despite his view being obstructed.
Grimsby boss David Artell said (via Grimsby Telegraph): “We have had two big moments go against us. They should have had a man sent off for a foul on Rekeil [Pyke], and the referee has given a penalty when he can’t see it, so I will be having a chat with Mike Jones [head of refereeing for the EFL] about that.”