Fulham vs Sunderland: This is referee Darren England's previous Black Cats record
Darren England will take charge of Sunderland's away fixture against Fulham in the Premier League this weekend.
Sunderland return from the international break with an away clash against Fulham in the Premier League.
The Black Cats have made an excellent start to life back in the top flight, taking 19 points and five wins from their first 11 games to sit fourth, already nine points clear of the relegation zone and just three points behind Manchester City in second. But Regis Le Bris’ side cannot let standards drop as they travel to West London for a meeting with Marco Silva’s side, who are 15th and have struggled for consistency this campaign.
Darren England has been appointed referee for the Craven Cottage fixture, but what is his previous record overseeing Sunderland matches?
When did Darren England last referee Sunderland?
It’s been a while since England last took charge of a Sunderland match, with their 1-1 draw away at Middlesbrough in the Tees-Wear derby in February 2024 the last encounter.
Trai Hume was booked in the 14th minute and Abdoullah Ba in the 34th, either side of a yellow card for Boro’s Lukas Engel. Sam Greenwood and Luke Ayling were both cautioned after the break for the hosts, while the Black Cats saw one final yellow card in the dying minutes via Pierre Ekwah.
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Darren England’s Sunderland record
That draw against Boro was the last of eight Sunderland matches that England has officiated. The first came back in September 2017, when they drew 1-1 away at Hull, while a 3-1 away win at Burnley was the only cup game. England even refereed Sunderland once in League One, when they beat Bradford City 1-0 on Boxing Day 2018. Sunderland have enjoyed a pretty positive record under England, losing just two of those eight matches:
- 04/02/24 - Middlesbrough 1-1 sunderland">Sunderland - Championship
- 28/08/19 - Burnley 1-3 Sunderland - EFL Cup
- 26/12/18 - Sunderland 1-0 Bradford City - League One
- 21/04/18 - Sunderland 1-2 Burton Albion - Championship
- 03/02/18 - Sunderland 0-2 Ipswich Town - Championship
- 25/11/17 - Burton Albion 0-2 Sunderland - Championship
- 21/10/17 - Brentford 3-3 Sunderland - Championship
- 16/09/17 - Hull City 1-1 Sunderland - Championship
Darren England’s 2025/26 Premier League record
England has taken charge of six Premier League matches so far this season, and worryingly for Sunderland, he has one of the lowest away win percentages at just 16.7%. The 39-year-old has generally been lenient this season, yet to show a red card despite a relatively high 3.83 yellow cards per match, while his 20.83 fouls per game is a total higher than only five other referees.
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England - who also oversaw Wolves’ 3-2 win over West Ham in the EFL Cup in August - has officiated some high-scoring matches this season, including Nottingham Forest’s 2-2 draw at home to Manchester United in early November. He is yet to referee Fulham this season either, last taking charge of them when they lost 3-1 at home to Everton in May. Sunderland fans should be optimistic given the Cottagers have lost six and won just three of the 11 matches they’ve played under England’s eye.