EFL make official decision ahead of Leeds United vs Middlesbrough

The EFL have confirmed that Ben Toner will be the referee for Leeds United’s clash against Middlesbrough on Tuesday night. Andrew Fox and Richard Woodward have been appointed as the assistant referees, whilst Oliver Langford is the fourth official.

Toner has overseen 17 matches so far this season, five of which have come in the Championship. He has given out 91 yellow cards this term along with two reds. His last match in the second tier was Swansea City vs Derby County at the end of November.

Leeds head into their upcoming fixture on the back of their 2-0 win at home to Derby County last time out. Defensive pair Joe Rodon and Max Wober scored in the first-half against the Rams as the Whites bounced back from their 1-0 away loss at Blackburn Rovers in style.

Daniel Farke’s side are now 2nd in the table as they eye promotion back to the Premier League. They are a point behind Sheffield United at the top as they look to keep up the pace with the Blades.

As for Middlesbrough, they drew 1-1 against Burnley at Turf Moor last Friday. Michael Carrick’s men have been in decent form over recent times and will be in confident mood. They are positioned in 5th place and are inside the play-offs along with Burnley, Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers.

‘Winning mentality’....

Speaking after Leeds’ win over Derby, Farke said: “For me, it’s something that belongs to a winning mentality. Setbacks are normal in this league, but you can’t suffer too long and each and every team suffers setbacks. We had one in difficult circumstances for us at Blackburn, but it’s important how we react and during this season so far, we are (usually) able to react straight away with a win.

“It’s more a less a sign of a winning mentality because with a game after a loss, it’s quite often difficult. You can have a proper run before, but one game and an unnecessary result does something to the confidence and mood a little bit and it’s important to react straightaway and this is what we are trying to do at the weekend."

Meanwhile, Carrick had this to say after Boro’s draw at Burnley: “If you go into the changing room, there's a tinge of disappointment, which is a good sign for me. The boys are a bit disappointed that we haven't won the game, albeit respectful and accepting the way the game was and how tight it was in some aspects. We're striving for more, we're hoping for more. Tonight we couldn't quite get it but we'll certainly take it and use it as a positive going into the games coming up.”

He added: "They're very good defensively, Scotty [Parker] has got them really well organised, not giving a lot away at all through the whole season really. It shows some of our play at times was really good and I think we're a little bit disappointed that we haven't had another goal. But maybe they're similar. They had moments around our box as well."