EFL confirm referee appointment for crunch Bristol City vs Preston North End final day fixture

Preston North End’s final day crunch fixture at Bristol City will be officiated by referee James Linington.

It will the the official’s 24th match of the 2024/25 campaign, and Linington will be assisted by James Wilson and Alex Young. Fourth official at Ashton Gate will be Alan Young.

So far this season, Linington has shown 88 yellow cards and one red - the sending off was for Hull City forward Joao Pedro, in the Tigers’ trip to Bristol City. Linington was the man in the middle for PNE’s 2-0 win at Cardiff City, back in December.

He last officiated this particular match in January 2016, when Preston won 2-1. How Paul Heckingbottom’s side would take a repeat of that score line on Saturday - while the Robins are looking to secure a play-off place, PNE are playing for survival.

A run of one win in 14 league games has seen North End thrust into a final day relegation dogfight. One of Preston, Hull City, Luton Town, Stoke City or Derby County will go down to League One with Cardiff City and Plymouth Argyle this weekend.

Your next PNE read: Preston North End predicted XI vs Bristol City