After almost two weeks without a game, Wrexham are back in action against Shrewsbury Town on Thursday night, and the referee for the game could be one to watch.
Any hopes of Wrexham building some momentum off the back of their win over Peterborough at the start of 2025 have been hindered by match postponements.
Now, Phil Parkinson’s side will be feeling refreshed but will have to get back into gear quickly when they come up against League One strugglers, Shrewsbury, on Thursday evening.
We’ve got a good idea who will make the Wrexham lineup for the Shrewsbury game, and now we take a closer look at who will be refereeing the fixture, too.
Simon Mather will officiate Wrexham vs Shrewsbury
The game, taking place on Thursday, January 16, at Shrewsbury’s New Meadow ground, will be refereed by Simon Mather.
As per the official EFL website, his assistants on the night will be Mark Cunliffe and Johnathon Bickerdike, while Jamie O’Connor is on fourth official duty.
Simon Mather sent off Wycombe player in his last game
In his last game, Mather officiated the match between Wrexham’s promotion rivals, Wycombe Wanderers, and Blackpool. The match ended 1-1, with Wycombe being on the wrong end of a red card decision.
Still, Matt Bloomfield’s side did take the lead in the first half thanks to a penalty from star striker, Richard Kone in the 40th minute.
Then, ten minutes after the restart, Wycombe’s Alex Hartridge was shown a second yellow card, leaving the promotion-chasers to play out the rest of the game with ten men. They conceded an equaliser in the 90th minute, dropping valuable points in the League One title race.
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Simon Mather’s referee record, including red card for Wrexham defender
Showing red cards and awarding penalties is nothing new for Mather, either. This season alone, the referee has branded six red cards and has pointed to the spot six times in just 18 games.
Mather has officiated nine games in League One, eight games in League Two, and one game in the Carabao Cup.
| Statistics | Simon Mather 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Games | 18 |
| Yellow cards | 55 |
| Fouls per game | 20.33 |
| Red cards | 6 |
| Penalties awarded | 6 |
The referee actually took charge of Wrexham’s 1-0 win over Mansfield Town earlier in the season, when a sixth-minute Ryan Barnett goal was enough to secure victory at the Racecourse Ground. Mather showed a yellow card to Ollie Palmer and Dan Scarr on the day.
In the past, Mather has also officiated another Wrexham game, back in January 2024, when he showed Will Boyle a straight red card in a League Two clash with Newport County. Fans will surely be hoping the Wrexham squad can stay in Mather’s good books on Thursday night.