Referee set to make Premier League debut by taking charge of Cherries v Brentford

REFEREE Matt Donohue will make his Premier League debut this weekend as he whistles AFC Bournemouth’s clash with Brentford.

A Championship referee since 2019, Donohue has previously refereed six Cherries fixtures, most recently at the start of this season when he was in the middle for Bournemouth’s EFL Cup triumph over Swansea City.

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Hailing from Essex via Manchester, Donohue provoked the ire of former Cherries boss Scott Parker during the 2021/22 season in the Championship, sending the head coach and Adam Smith off in the closing stages of a 2-1 defeat away at Preston.

This season Donohue has overseen 30 Championship games, dishing out 132 yellow cards and showing a further two red cards.

Overall, Donohue has refereed more than a 100 second-tier games.

Referees for Cherries v Brentford:

Referee: Matthew Donohue. Assistants: Simon Long, Mark Scholes. Fourth official: Tim Robinson. VAR: Chris Kavanagh. Assistant VAR: Derek Eaton.