Lee Mason to Referee Championship Playoff Final
There are few matches that have as much riding on them as the May 24 clash between Derby and QPR at Wembley. The winner rises to the Premiership, and the loser will be faced with another year in the Purgatory that is Championship.
And the referee will be…
Ahem.
Look, I’m sure he’s a very nice guy, but when I think “huge match”, I don’t automatically think “Lee Mason”. He’s okay, but he’s been a tad inconsistent. Unfortunately, when he has had rough matches this season, they’ve made news, skewing the impression of his refereeing a bit.
Probably the most notorious bit was when Brendan Rodgers publicly questioned Mason’s fairness when Liverpool fell to eventual champions Manchester City on Boxing Day. Rodgers was fined for suggesting FA should not have assigned Mason to the match, because he’s from “greater Manchester.”
To add more pressure, Mark Clattenburg had the last playoff, and he basically put on a masterclass. Even Twitter, normally derisive of Clatts, roundly praised his performance. So, Mason is going to have a lot to live up to.
Here are his stats for the year:
Assisting Mason will be Darren England and John Brooks, with Ian Hussin in reserve.
Fourth official is Jon Moss.
PLAY THE ADVANTAGE 