Simon Hooper will referee Albion for the first time since their most recent trip to the North West.

The official from Swindon will be in the middle when the Seagulls visit Everton on Saturday.

He last took charge of one of their fixtures when they drew 1-1 at Burnley towards the end of last season.

Hooper’s 2023-24 season also included the 1-1 draw between Seagulls and Clarets at the Amex and Albion’s 4-1 win over Crystal Palace.

In total last term, he refereed 35 games across all competitions, showing 143 yellow cards and three reds.

He has not sent a player off in any of his last 25 games.

Darren England will be on VAR duty.

The full officiating team for Everton v Albion is as follow.

Referee: Simon Hooper. Assistants: Adrian Holmes, Simon Long. Fourth official: Darren Bond. VAR: Darren England. Assistant VAR: Sian Massey-Ellis.