Pompey take on south-coast rivals Southampton at St Mary’s on Sunday.

Referee Adam Herczeg will take charge of Pompey’s south-coast derby trip to Southampton on Sunday.

The 33-year-old has been named as the match official for the eagerly-anticipated Championship fixture which will see the Blues head back to St Mary’s for just the fourth time since February 2010.

Last season, Matt Donohue presided over the highly-charged fixture, a game that saw six yellow cards handed out, including bookings for Blues duo Zak Swanson and John Swift.

On this occasion, though, Durham-based Herczeg will be the man in the middle for the televised match that promises to be as hotly contested as previous meetings between the two rivals.

Assisting him on the pitch will be Bhups Singh Gill and Alistair Nelson, with Ruebyn Ricardo acting as the fourth official.

Herczeg’s appointment comes just three weeks after he made his Premier League debut for Leeds’ Elland Road fixture against Crystal Palace on Sunday, September 20.

That top-flight game saw the match official reach into his pocket five times to discipline players.

None of the cards handed out were red. Although that’s not something Herczeg has been forced to resort to this season to date.

Of the seven matches he’s officiated so far - including Pompey’s Carabao Cup defeat at West Ham on the opening day of the season - 24 bookings have been issued, yet no in-game decisions have resulted in a player being asked to leave the pitch.

In fact, the last red shown by Herczeg was back in January when Stoke defender Bosun Lawal was sent off during the Potters’ 2-1 defeat against Middlesbrough, which was 18 matches ago.

Herczeg, who was appointed an EFL referee at the beginning of the 2022-23 season, has taken charge of a Pompey game on four occasions.

As well as this season’s match at the London Stadium, he refereed the Blues’ 1-0 defeat at Preston North End last term, took charge of Pompey’s 2-1 Fratton Park win against Burton during their 2023-24 League One title-winning campaign, and was the man in he middle for a draw against Morecambe in November 2022.

He is yet to send a Pompey player off during his career.

Herczeg took charge of Southampton’s 5-1 win over Millwall back on September August 29, a game that saw him dish out three yellows, including one each for Ryan Manning and Tom Fellows.

The match official also oversaw Pompey’s rivals’ 2-1 win at Sheffield United last term, plus their 1-1 draw against Coventry, which saw Sky Blues defender Jay Dasilva dismissed after 47 minutes and at a time when Frank Lampard’s side were 1-0 up.

While the Blues have suffered one defeat when Herczeg has refereed one of their games, Southampton are yet to taste defeat when the Durham official has taken charge.

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