It is the fourth time the referee has been appointed for a West Ham game and the second time during Nuno Espirito Santo's tenure as manager

The team of officials has been confirmed for West Ham's high-stakes Championship game against Swansea and there will be a familiar face in the middle. Josh Smith has been announced as referee, two months after he took charge of the Hammers' season opener at Burnley.

West Ham led 2-0 at Turf Moor on the opening weekend of the season before a penalty award from Smith offered the Clarets a way back into the game with six minutes to go. Zian Flemming converted from the spot after Ollie Scarles was ruled to have fouled Marcus Edwards and the striker then levelled things up in stoppage time.

Nuno Espirito Santo didn't have any complaints about the penalty in his post-match press conference. Since that day, the London side have climbed the table and currently sit third, while Burnley are just outside the drop zone in 21st.

Nuno's side travel to league leaders Swansea on Saturday and it is the fourth time referee. Smith will take charge of one of their games. They have one win, one draw and one defeat from the first three.

The win came when David Moyes was West Ham's manager, with Tomas Soucek scoring the only goal of the game in an EFL Cup victory away to Lincoln City in 2023. The defeat came the following season with Julen Lopetegui in the Hammers dugout and there was VAR drama in the loss away at Leicester City.

An equaliser was ruled out for a foul on Mads Hermansen - at the time Leicester's goalkeeper - with Leicester going on to open up a 3-0 lead after their let-off before Niclas Fullkrug scored a consolation. In the aftermath of the match, former Premier League referee Keith Hackett suggested the disallowed West Ham goal should have been allowed to stand.

"Frankly, I have witnessed several similar incidents going unpunished and the goal allowed to stand," Hackett told West Ham Zone. "This goal should have been allowed the goalkeeper needed to be much stronger going for the ball."

Smith has refereed Swansea matches on 11 previous occasions. Those encounters have brought four wins for the Welsh side, two draws and five defeats.

Vitor Matos' men go into this weekend's match top of the Championship table, four points and two places above West Ham. However, the visitors go into the game off the back of a statement-making 6-0 win at Lincoln.

"It was a good, important result," Nuno said. "Of course there were different circumstances, but we had to manage it well, which I think we did. There were lots of positives, and it gives us confidence."