EFL confirm official decision ahead of Coventry City vs Leeds United

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Leeds United head to the CBS Arena this evening with another crucial three points on the line.

The officiating team for tonight’s Championship fixture against Coventry City has been confirmed, with Dean Whitestone to take charge of his second Leeds United game this season.

Leeds head down to the CBS Arena knowing victory would pull them five points clear of Burnley once again, following their victory at home to Oxford United on Tuesday. A 33rd-minute Michal Helik own-goal proved decisive at Turf Moor, with Scott Parker’s side climbing into second and Sheffield United not in action until this weekend.

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Daniel Farke’s side were originally due to face Coventry this weekend but both team’s participation in the FA Cup fourth round saw it brought forward at a fortnight’s notice - something Sky Blues manager Frank Lampard admitted was ‘not ideal’. And ahead of this evening’s trip, the EFL have confirmed their referee appointment.

Dean Whitestone will take charge of the rearranged Championship clash, his second Leeds game of the campaign having been in charge for November’s madcap 4-3 win at Swansea City. The experienced EFL referee has been a regular in the second-tier this season, with 16 games under his belt.

Whitestone has been neither strict nor particularly lenient this season, with his average of 23.06 fouls and 3.56 yellow cards around the middle for referees with a significant number of games. The Metropolitan Police officer has only brandished one red card throughout the campaign, which was shown to Swansea’s Harry Darling during a 2-1 defeat against Sheffield United last month.

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While Leeds haven’t seen much of Whitestone this season, he has been in regular charge throughout previous years. In total, he has taken charge of 11 games involving the West Yorkshire club, with the Whites winning three, drawing four and losing four. The referee will be assisted by Nigel Lugg & Darren Williams, while fourth official John Busby will be between both dugouts.

Leeds can boast a near-perfect bill of health going into this evening, with Patrick Bamford the only first-team absence due to a hamstring injury picked up on New Year’s Day. They will need to be at their best too, with hosts Coventry winning their last four and climbing into a play-off scrap under Lampard.

Wins are becoming more crucial with each passing week and Burnley’s victory over Oxford has put the pressure on, particularly with Sheffield United at home to struggling Portsmouth this weekend. The Whites have done incredibly well to open up some breathing space on their rivals but the hard task is keeping that gap over a number of weeks.

Focus inside the Leeds camp will be solely on their own performance, however, and Farke will be keen to follow up Saturday’s 7-0 thumping of Cardiff City with another important win. But doing so will be no easy task at a ground where his 15-game unbeaten run came to an end last season.

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