Martin Atkinson has been appointed as referee for tomorrow's Barclays Premier League game between Wigan Athletic and Sunderland at the DW Stadium.

Appointed to the Select Group in 2005 and then the FIFA International List the following year, Atkinson has been a top-flight regular for a number of years and took charge of the 2006 Community Shield between Liverpool and Chelsea at the Millennium Stadium.

He began refereeing in local leagues aged 16 and broke into the senior game during the 2002/03 season, progressing to top-flight duty within a further two seasons.

Atkinson took charge of Sunderland on three occasions last season and produced 135 yellow cards and 11 reds in 40 games during 2008/09.

He was the man in the middle as Sunderland saw off Hull City 4-1 at the Stadium of Light earlier in the season.