Craig Pawson Appointed Referee for Aston Villa vs Brentford

Craig Pawson has been appointed to referee Brentford's Premier League return against Aston Villa on Saturday.

The Bees travel to Villa Park for a 3pm kick-off, with Lee Betts and Mat Wilkes named as Pawson's assistants. Anthony Backhouse will be fourth official, while Peter Bankes has been assigned to VAR alongside assistant Ian Hussin.

It will be Pawson's first Brentford appointment of the season, although he has refereed the club regularly in recent years. Saturday will be the 12th Brentford match of his career, stretching back to a League Two fixture in 2008.

The Bees have been unbeaten in their last five Premier League matches with Pawson in the middle.

Brentford have not lost any of the last five games Pawson has refereed. They beat Bournemouth 2-1 in March 2025 and drew 1-1 at Wolves on the final day of that season, before three more Pawson appointments in 2025/26 brought wins over Manchester United and West Ham either side of a goalless draw at Bournemouth.

The last Brentford defeat with Pawson in charge came at Newcastle United in September 2023.

There is also some history with Saturday's opposition. Pawson refereed Brentford's 2-1 win over Aston Villa in January 2022, during their first season in the Premier League. Danny Ings put the visitors ahead after 16 minutes, but Yoane Wissa equalised shortly before half-time and Mads Roerslev completed the comeback late on.

Roerslev's winner came seven minutes from time after Emiliano Martinez had saved his initial effort, giving the Bees their first victory of 2022.

Pawson had already been involved in another notable Brentford occasion before the club reached the Premier League, refereeing the first league match at the Gtech Community Stadium in September 2020, when Huddersfield Town visited in the Championship. Josh Dasilva scored the first league goal at the ground before Marcus Forss and Bryan Mbeumo completed a 3-0 victory.

That appointment came more than seven years after Pawson's previous Brentford game, a League One defeat at Stevenage in March 2013.

His involvement has become much more regular since the Bees reached the Premier League. Six of his 11 previous matches involving the Bees have come since promotion in 2021, including the Villa victory and all five games in their current unbeaten run under him.

Brentford head into Saturday's fixture unbeaten in the Premier League this season after taking nine points from their opening five matches.

Keith Andrews' side went into the international break on the back of a 3-0 win over Chelsea at Gtech Community Stadium, while their previous trip to Villa Park also ended in victory. Brentford won 1-0 there last season, completing a league double over Villa after beating them by the same scoreline in West London.