Phil SumblerSaturday’s referee at the Liberty is Keith Stroud who is taking charge of the Swans for the third time in the league this season having previous overseen the draw at Coventry and the home defeat against Bristol City.
It will be his 29th Championship appearance of the season with 75 yellow cards and 1 red being dispatched from his pocket in his previous 28 encounters. He has been an International FIFA assistant referee and ran the line in the 2003 FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Southampton.
He also served as a Premier League referee for two seasons before returning to the EFL list in 2009/10. Keith has refereed over 300 EFL games, including the League Two Play-Off Final in 2013 between Bradford City and Northampton Town.
In 2012 Keith was the referee for the Cerebral Palsy Paralympics Final between Russia and Ukraine, and in 2015 refereed the Cerebral Palsy World Championships Final with the same teams as the finalists.
Stroud was in charge of the first leg of our play off semi final last season when he awarded us a penalty (which Ayew missed) and also sent off Brentford’s Rico Henry – a decision that was later on overturned on appeal although it was a decision that Cooper agreed with at the time “You look at the Jake Bidwell one against Bristol City earlier on in the season. I don’t think you can if you compare it to that and if you do what you do you’re endorsing dangerous and reckless challenges” he said after the game.
“There’s a lot of contention. You saw some in the Premier League too. The fact is it was 50:50 and there’s no way it can be overturned.”
Cooper blasted Stroud as well last season after failing to show a second yellow card to Reading’s Lucas Boye at the Liberty – saying after the game: “I politely spoke with the ref at half-time. I’ve come across him before. He’s a really experienced referee and a decent guy but I think he knew he let himself down a bit.
“I asked him and he’s obviously going to have his excuses and reasons, and the fourth official’s reaction as well, they knew they probably weren’t at their best.”
Stroud will be assisted by Jonathan Hunt and Sam Lewis while Joshua Smith is the fourth official.
