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Lewis Smith is set to be the man in the middle as Fulham host Aston Villa at Craven Cottage on Saturday. The 30-year-old is set to be the youngest man to officiate in the Premier League thus season.
Smith will become the sixth referee outside the PGMOL select group to take charge of a Premier League Match this season, after Sam Allison, Sam Barrett, Bobby Madley, Josh Smith and Rebecca Welch.
The 30-year-old refereed his first match in 2016, taking charge of the derby between Liverpool u18s and Everton u18s. He continued to referee youth and lower league football, before being granted the opportunity to referee in the FA Cup first round, taking charge of the match between Canvey Island and Banbury in 2020.
From here, he climbed the ranks, refereeing 33 matches across the EFL thus far, including seven games in the Championship, four FA Cup games and three in the EFL this season. This is a remarkable feat for someone who refereed over half his games in the National League last campaign.
Smith is an extremely confident referee and likes to talk to the players. He has shown he is not shy of a card this season, showing 136 total in 33 games (red cards counting as 2).
The latest extract comes from ex-referee Mark Halsey:
"Lewis Smith has the natural ability to be a Premier League referee.
And it's great to see a young talent like Lewis being given the chance to take charge of Fulham's home clash with Aston Villa tomorrow.
Like a promising player breaking into a first-team, if a referee is good enough, they are old enough and we should not hold the 30-year-old back.
Yes, Lewis has been fast-tracked through the system but the PGMOL have identified him as a future prospect and believe the time is right for his top-flight debut.
He's been well-prepared for his big test at Craven Cottage in recent weeks by officiating at tough Championship venues such as Leeds, Stoke and Birmingham - and even Barrow's match with Forest Green in League Two on Tuesday night.
It's no secret that I'm a QPR fan and I watched Lewis perform exceptionally well when he officiated the Hoops against Millwall last month.
That London derby is not an easy one to referee but he handled the game superbly, allowing the game to flow and engaging with the players."
With all the hype and pressure surrounding a momentous occasion for Smith, it remains to be seen how he handles the occasion.
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