Darren England has been confirmed as the referee for Newcastle United’s Premier League game at Leicester City on Friday night (8pm kick-off).
United head to the King Power Stadium for what will be their penultimate away game of the campaign, with England appointed to keep order in the first fixture of matchweek 35.
The Doncaster-born official is one of the younger referees in the top flight, having only been promoted to the Select Group just prior to the start of the 2020/21 season.
He has experience of handling a couple of contests involving Newcastle, though, as he was the man in the middle of the 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion in December - on that occasion, he booked five players, including the Magpies’ Jamal Lewis and Callum Wilson - and the 2-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace, when Jonjo Shelvey was among four players shown yellow cards.
England’s first taste of the professional game came in the National League in 2013, and since then he has established himself as a regular in the EFL and, this term, the Premier League.
So far this season his appointments have come in the top two divisions, as well as the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup. Across 25 games, he has shown a total of 67 yellow cards and just one red – to Coventry’s Michael Rose in their 4-0 defeat at home to Blackburn in the Championship.
Lee Betts and Darren Cann will assist England on Friday, with Craig Pawson acting as fourth official.
Paul Tierney will be the VAR, and will be assisted by Scott Ledger.