Sky Sports News. Sheffield Wednesday handed referee for Norwich City clash who dropped major howler that went viral.

Sheffield Wednesday face Norwich City this evening in need of a strong performance.

The Owls were defeated 6-2 at Hillsborough on Saturday, leaving fans and Danny Rohl with more questions than answers.

Wednesdays are performing well compared to a year ago, but higher expectations are necessary.

Being hammered by Watford is a step backwards, and tonight’s game is the last chance to gain momentum before Sunday’s derby.

After rallying from behind to defeat Portsmouth, it was assumed that a tiny corner had been turned.

However, a poor performance on home turf over the weekend means there is work to be done tonight.

Wednesday’s case may not be helped by match officials this evening, as an intriguing appointment is scheduled for South Yorkshire.

Stephen Martin to referee Sheffield Wednesday following FA Cup howler.

Video nasties and referees go hand in hand these days, so this may not come as much of a surprise.

Finding a referee who has never made a mistake would be inconceivable, yet tonight’s committed a major blunder on Saturday.

Stephen Martin from Birmingham was in charge of Newport County’s FA Cup home game against Peterborough over the weekend.

Posh were behind 2-1 to the League Two side when Jack Sparkes believed he had equalised from a corner kick.

Posh didn’t celebrate since there was so much misunderstanding at first, despite the ball landing in the net.

Martin approached his assistant referee and chose to rule the goal out, despite replays clearly indicating that the ball crossed the line at the near post.

Although Peterborough won the game 4-2, Martin has been permitted to stay as the match referee for tonight’s Championship encounter.

Sheffield Wednesday’s record with Stephen Martin refereeing

Martin has yet to referee Wednesday this season, but he did officiate the 1-1 draw against Stoke in April.

He was also in charge of the Owls’ 1-0 victory against Plymouth previous season, although he did not oversee any further Wednesday games.

Before that, you have to go all the way back to 2020 to find a Wednesday game that Martin refereed: a 2-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest during the season, played behind closed doors.

In total, he officiated the Owls 17 times, with Wednesday winning seven, drawing four, and losing six.

Surprisingly, the West Midlands-based official has never given a Sheffield Wednesday player a straight red card.

Perhaps most concerning for Wednesday, he has granted four penalties against the Owls while failing to award one in favour of tonight’s hosts.

Wednesday will hope Martin does not make another mistake like he did on Saturday this evening, and that the match officials do not decide the outcome.

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