Lewis Smith will be the man in the middle for Ipswich Town's trip to Hull City this evening. Ross Halls take a closer look at the referee...

The Lancashire official refereed his first match in 2016 at youth level, before climbing the ranks and officiating his first EFL game in 2022.

Smith then stepped up to be a Premier League referee in February 2024, and has also gained experience in Japan’s J1 League.

He will be taking charge of the Blues for the first time this season, having previously overseen five Town games before.

Last campaign, Smith refereed three Town games in the top flight, notably the 4-3 defeat at Brentford which saw him give the Bees a penalty and send off Harry Clarke.

Meanwhile, he has refereed just one Hull game before, which was their 2-1 FA Cup defeat at Birmin

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