Saturday 31st DecemberNewcastle United vs Leeds UnitedSt. James' ParkKick-off 3pm GMTTicket details

The 40-year-old is midway through his fifth campaign as a regular top flight referee, having been promoted to Select Group 1 at the beginning of 2018/19. Born in Swindon and affiliated with the Wiltshire FA, Hooper joined the National List of officials in 2008 and progressed through the English football pyramid before reaching the EFL.

Having been appointed for the League One play-off final between Bradford City and Millwall in 2017, Hooper went on to referee two United fixtures in 2018 - the home draw with Burnley in January and the victory at Leicester City in September - meaning that two of his first three Premier League outings came in matches involving the Magpies.

Hooper didn't oversee a single United game last term, but was the referee on the opening day of the current campaign when Eddie Howe's side beat Nottingham Forest 2-0. He showed three yellow cards, but none of them were to Newcastle players, while he has yet to send a player off this season.

2022/2023 stats

Games (all competitions): 12Yellow cards issued: 32Red cards issued: 0

Assistants

Assistant referees: Adrian Holmes, Mark ScholesFourth official: Craig PawsonVAR: Michael SalisburyAssistant VAR: James Mainwaring