David Coote appointed referee for Wolves' clash with Aston Villa
The EFL have appointed David Coote as referee for Wolves' huge Championship trip to local rivals and fellow promotion contenders Aston Villa, a man most Molineux faithful will remember well.
Coote irked fans last season following a number of controversial decisions in the previous meeting between Villa and Wolves at Villa Park, most notably missing a stamp from Jack Grealish on Conor Coady.
The Villa man was eventually reprimanded by the FA for the incident and issued a three-match ban for his actions in the game, which ended 1-1.
Coote also refused Jon Dadi Bodvarsson a penalty after he was bundled over in the box by Micah Richards, whilst Villa defender James Chester also escaped a red card after a number of strong challenges.
The Nottinghamshire referee awarded both sides a penalty during the game, the first following Dominic Iorfa's tangle with Grealish after just 15 minutes, which Jonathan Kodjia converted.
Wolves then got their chance from 12 yards just after the half hour mark, after Aly Cissokho handled a Helder Costa strike, with the winger stepping up to equalise.
Despite a host of chances in the second half, Walter Zenga's side couldn't find a winner, but the Italian was vocal in his criticism of some of the refereeing decisions through the fixture.
"I'm very angry because we lost two points. And especially, that moment in the second half, there is a clear penalty for us." Zenga said following the draw.
"This is why we're upset. Every time we have something to say. This kind of situation (costs us) points at the end of the season.
"Sometimes some decisions can be questionable, but this is unbelievable. It's totally clear.
"Today, in this game, it's clear for everybody."
Coote has taken charge of just two Wolves games this season, the 2-0 home win over Fulham and the 1-0 victory over Ipswich. He showed three yellow cards to Nuno's side, with Ruben Neves, Barry Douglas and Romain Saiss being booked over the two games.
