Newcastle United play host to Sunderland AFC in the Tyne and Wear Derby this weekend, but fans may be unhappy with the selection of officials for the fiery and highly-anticipated encounter
08:50, 17 Mar 2026Updated 08:56, 17 Mar 2026
Newcastle United’s FA Cup clash with Aston Villa was coloured in controversy(Image: Newcastle United via Getty Images)
An assistant referee involved in Newcastle United’s controversial FA Cup clash with Aston Villa has been given a role in this weekend’s Tyne and Wear Derby.
Gary Beswick operated as a linesman during February’s 3-1 win for the Magpies at Villa Park, in a game where referee Chris Kavanagh and fellow assistant, Nick Greenhalgh, made a number of high-profile errors. And the official will be tasked with the same duties during this weekend’s derby at St James’ Park.
The Premier League this week announced who will officiate each match week 31 fixture, with Anthony Taylor set to oversee this weekend’s bitter encounter. Beswick and Adam Nunn will operate on the sidelines, while Andy Madley has been selected as the fourth official.
Paul Howard, meanwhile, will watch with a close eye in the VAR room, assisted by Sian Massey-Ellis. United’s FA Cup clash with Villa earlier this year was shrouded in controversy due to a number of major mistakes from officials.
And given VAR was not in play at that stage of the competition, no real-time corrections were afforded – with decisions from Kavanagh and his assistants standing. Tammy Abraham gave the hosts the lead just 14 minutes into the match, tapping home from close range.
However, the forward was clearly in an offside position which was not spotted by Kavanagh or his assistants, with the goal wrongly standing. Lucas Digne was also lucky not to receive a red card after a late and high challenge on Jacob Murphy in the first-half.
Perhaps the most bemusing instance from the clash was when Kavanagh awarded a free kick outside of the box in the second-half, despite Digne handling the ball in his own area. While the official deemed the Frenchman to have handled the ball, he thought that the offence took place outside of the box.
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Thankfully, the poor officiating didn’t hamper the result of the game, with Newcastle running out 3-1 winners thanks to a brace from Sandro Tonali and a late goal from Nick Woltemade.
However, the Magpies’ FA Cup run came crashing to a close in the very next round, with Manchester City proving too hot to handle at St James’ Park, returning to the north west with a 3-1 win for their efforts.
It comes as Newcastle are far better-placed to reign victorious in this weekend’s Tyne-Wear Derby, following heartbreak at the Stadium of Light in December. In the reverse on Wearside, the Black Cats ran out 1-0 winners via an own goal from Woltemade, extending their unbeaten derby streak in the Premier League to 10 games.
Gary Beswick (in blue) will work the lines for the Tyne-Wear Derby(Image: Getty Images)
That could all change come Sunday at 12pm, however, with Regis Le Bris’ squad well and truly depleted through injury. As things stand, Robin Roefs, Nilson Angulo, Jocelin Ta Bi, Romaine Mundle, Bertrand Traore, Nordi Mukiele and Reinildo Mandava will miss the match.
Meanwhile, Enzo Le Fee is a doubt after missing Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Brighton, a game in which Dan Ballard also picked up a hamstring issue. Newcastle, meanwhile, head into the match with Emil Krafth, Bruno Guimaraes, Fabian Schar, Lewis Miley and Joe Willock out of action.
Despite an incredibly bright start to the season, momentum also seems to have slowed on Wearside, with Sunderland winning just one of their last five Premier League outings. However, Newcastle have a heavier workload this week, with Eddie Howe’s squad travelling to the Camp Nou on Tuesday evening to face Barcelona in a second-leg round of 16 Champions League fixture.
The Magpies head into the fold 1-1 on aggregate with the La Liga giants despite a dominant performance in last week’s initial tie, Malick Thiaw conceding a last-minute penalty in heartbreaking fashion.
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