Credit: Imago

Harri Burton

Wed 13 May 2026 10:12, UK

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West Ham United will be sick at the sight of Craig Pawson as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side prepare to face Newcastle United.

Luckily for the Hammers, Pawson will be all the way at Stockley Park at the VAR official on Sunday, 10 May, with Jarred Gillett taking charge in the centre of the St James’ Park pitch.

Nuno’s side are slipping closer and closer to the Premier League relegation zone, and with just two games remaining against the Magpies and Leeds United, the club’s demise could soon be confirmed.

West Ham simply have to beat Newcastle this weekend, hoping for Tottenham to slip up against Chelsea, but Howard Webb’s selection of officials won’t sit well at the London Stadium.

Craig Pawson will want to avoid any further controversies

Pawson’s last game was as a referee during the Hammers’ 3-0 defeat to Brentford, with a Konstantinos Mavropanos own goal compounded by efforts from Igor Thiago and Mikkel Damsgaard.

However, the result could have been very different had the officials made different decisions, and the majority of supporters will feel that the wrong ones were made at the Gtech Community Stadium.

First of all, there is absolutely no doubt that Pablo should have won a penalty in the 78th minute, with the score just 2-0, after he was wiped out in the area by a slipping Brentford player.

Many also argued that Mavropanos’ own goal should have been ruled out. As he attempted to clear the ball, Michael Kayode landed studs on his shin, leaving the Greek international in a lot of pain.

And it would be rude not to mention Keane Lewis-Potter’s rugby-style foul on Tomas Soucek inside the penalty area. On all three occasions, Pawson appeared to look the other way.

Jarred Gillett dealing with Tottenham vs Leeds United fallout

It seems like the PGMOL continues to produce errors and mistakes each and every weekend, and there is still debate as to whether Gillett made the right call during Spurs’ 1-1 draw against Leeds United.

James Maddison could be sanctioned for hitting out at the referee’s decision, accusing officials of being too afraid of making decisions with VAR now available to them.

Spurs wanted a dramatic last-minute penalty after Maddison went down under pressure from Lukas Nmecha, and Gillett will now be in charge of West Ham’s must-win game against Newcastle.

The full focus will be on securing three points away from home, but given Pawson’s last involvement with the Hammers, supporters won’t have forgotten ahead of the trip to St James’ Park.