David Coote, from Nottinghamshire, who was in charge of VAR in the Blades trip to Old Trafford on Wednesday will take charge of the match at the Etihad as Manchester City host Sheffield United in the Premier League on Saturday (kick-off; 3:00 PM)
Throughout his career, the referee has taken charge of seventeen Blades matches at various levels, during which he has brandished 75 yellow cards (average 4.4 per game), and five red cards. His most recent dismissal involving United came last season during ‘project restart,’ when, in the match at Newcastle, he dismissed John Egan.
He was in charge of the Boxing day defeat at home to Everton this season and in all of the ten Premier League matches he has been named referee, he has booked 34 players and sent-off two; Christian Benteke (Crystal Palace), and Matt Doherty (Tottenham Hotspur).
Coote has had a long-established career as a referee, having officiated matches in the English pyramid system since 2007.
He also officiated the South Yorkshire Derby at the Keepmoat Stadium which saw the Blades and Doncaster Rovers draw 2-2. Coote also dismissed Rovers’ striker Billy Paynter (formerly with the Blades), with three minutes remaining.
Perhaps the most memorable fixture that Mr Coote has taken change would have been the Blades 2-1 victory at Aston Villa in January 2014 en-route to the FA Cup semi-finals. The following season he refereed the Johnstone Paints Trophy match at Walsall, and the 2-0 home league win over Swindon, which saw nine players booked (three for United).
In 2016 he made the step up to the Championship and wasn’t until the Blades won promotion from League One that United saw Coote officiate a match. The first game at Championship was against Reading, and his second saw the referee dismiss John Fleck in a home defeat against Bristol City. He also took charge of the Steel City Derby in January that ended 0-0, but had the pleasure of handing Glen Loovens two yellow cards, followed by a red to reduce the Owls to ten men.
The following season he took charge of the Yorkshire Derby at Leeds United in the ‘Basham Arriving,’ victory that saw United win by a single goal, en-route to promotion. United was already a goal down when he reduced Leeds to ten-men following the straight red card of keeper Kiko Casilla.
List of Sheffield United fixtures which referee David Coots has officiated, with a tally of yellow/red cards net to each fixture;
18.08.2012 – Shrewsbury Town (H – W 2-0) 2/0
01.01.2013 – Doncaster Rovers (A – D 2-2) 6/1
04.01.2014 – Aston Villa (A – W 2-1) 5/0
12.11.2014 – Walsall (A – L -0-1) 3/0
31.01.2015 – Swindon Town (H – W 2-0) 9/0
23.04.2016 – Barnsley (H – D 0-0) 6/0
21.10.2017 – Reading (H – W 2-1) 3/0
08.12.2017 – Bristol City (H – L 1-2) 4/1
12.01.2018 – Sheffield Wednesday (H – D 0-0) 4/1
14.04.2018 – Millwall (H – D 1-1) 5/0
16.03.2019 – Leeds United (A – W 1-0) 2/1
18.08.2019 – Crystal Palace (H – W 1-0) 4/0
26.10.2019 – West Ham United (A – D 1-1) 4/0
01.12.2019 – Wolverhampton Wanderers (A – D 1-1) 6/0
26.12.2019 – Watford (H – D 1-1) 3/0
21.06.2020 – Newcastle United (A – L 0-3) 3/1
26.12.2020 – Everton (H – L 0-1) 6/0
OFFICIALS VS. MANCHESTER CITY
Referee: David Coote.
Assistants: Lee Betts, Nick Hopton.
Fourth official: Jonathan Moss.
VAR: Martin Atkinson.
Assistant VAR: Peter Kirkup.