The match officials for Leeds United’s opening Sky Bet Championship fixture against Cardiff City on Sunday have been announced, with Josh Smith set to be the man in the middle.
Born in Peterborough, Smith is one of the youngest referees in the professional game, having started refereeing in 2006, at the age of just 14, following in the footsteps of his dad and grandad, who had also been referees. He received successive promotions from the National League to the EFL referees list, before becoming part of the Select Group 2 list of referees from the 2020/21 campaign.
At the end of last season, in May, Smith took charge of his first Premier League fixture overseeing Fulham’s 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage, ensuring he has now officiated in every professional league of the English football pyramid.
Smith has previously taken charge of Leeds United on just one occasion, which came last season when he oversaw our 3-1 Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round victory against Accrington Stanley at the Wham Stadium. During the match he distributed three yellow cards, with two to Accrington and one shown to Whites midfielder Sam Greenwood.
2022/2023 stats
Games (all competitions): 35
Yellow cards issued: 140
Red cards issued: 4
Other match officials selected
Assistant referees: Matthew Jones & Sam Lewis
Fourth official: Jeremy Simpson