Bramall a new face for Blackburn trip — Referee

Thomas Bramall, a 32-year-old from Sheffield, takes charge of a QPR game for the first time this Saturday as the R’s open their season at Blackburn.

Referee >>> Thomas Bramall (Sheffield), despite only joining the EFL list in 2018/19, Bramall has been promoted to the Premier League list for the first time this season.

Assistants >>> Scott Ledger (South Yorkshire) and George Byrne (Suffolk)

Fourth Official >>> Ross Joyce (Cleveland)

History

First QPR appointment, though was fourth official for our home win against Huddersfield last season.

Stats

Bramall, 32, stepped out of the National League and into the EFL for the 2018/19 season where he took charge of a chunky 44 games and showed a lenient 102 yellows and three reds, mostly in League Two. His 2019/20 season was restricted to five outings by an ACL rupture that threatened his career. Coming back from that, and the Covid break, he refereed 33 games showing 78 yellows and four reds in 2020/21, a season that included his Championship debut in Luton’s 1-0 win at Preston, and a League Two play-off semi-final between Morecambe and Tranmere.

Last season, his first as a regular Championship official, he booked 105 and sent six off in 33 games — totals boosted substantially by three red cards shown in West Brom’s 1-1 draw with Cardiff. Two of those red cards came in a brawl after the final whistle when West Brom felt they had a stone wall penalty but the referee chose to blow for full time instead. He finished the season with the MK Dons v Wycombe League One play-off semi-final, and the FA Trophy final between Bromley and Wrexham. Despite a slew of retirements among Premier League referees, Bramall is the only one to be promoted from the EFL last season with assistants Natalie Aspinall, Nick Greenhalgh and Steve Meredith also stepping up.

He has taken Blackburn once before, for a 2-0 loss at Hull in January.

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