Leeds United have one win in their last five Championship games, and are desperate to get their season back on track this week. They will be travelling to Kenilworth Road to take on Luton Town on Saturday and hope to leave with three points in their bag. The appointment of the referee should worry some Leeds fans.
Daniel Farke and his Leeds United players are under extreme pressure after stumbling in the race to earn automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Their recent run of poor form has pushed them down to second in the Championship, and the club are now scrambling to remain in the top two spots to earn the automatic promotion berth.
Leeds fans have been up in arms about some of the refereeing decisions their team have encountered in recent weeks, but the referee for the Luton game should favour their style of football.
The referee for the Luton vs Leeds United game is not a trigger-happy official
Thomas Bramall has been appointed to officiate the Leeds fixture at Kenilworth Road on Saturday, and one detail the Whites fans won’t miss is that he is Sheffield-born.
It is unknown whether the official supports Leeds’ promotion rivals, Sheffield United, or not, but it will cause some trepidation for the Leeds supporters.
He has only officiated one Leeds game in his career, which the Whites won when they beat Cardiff City in an FA Cup replay in the 2022/23 season.
Bramall is a hugely experienced referee and has officiated 18 games this season, including in the Premier League and the Championship, and is known for not being too trigger-happy with cards.
He has produced just 58 yellow cards, an average of just over three bookings per game, and just three red cards across the season thus far.
Leeds should just focus on things they can control
Farke and the Leeds players are focusing on preparing as best as they can for the big game against Luton Town at Kenilworth Road on Saturday.
Bramall’s Sheffield links are unlikely to play in the minds of the Leeds players, who are aware that they need to up their performance levels to win more games.
Can you name the missing sponsor on these 10 Leeds United shirts?
The Leeds boss is under pressure to make some changes to the team on Saturday, and it remains to be seen whether he goes against his instinct of sticking to what he thinks works.
On paper, Leeds should be beating Luton, given the gulf in quality between the two teams, and the appointment of a Sheffield-born referee should not make too much of a difference.
