The EFL has made a late alteration to the roster of officials in charge of Birmingham City’s vital fixture against Middlesbrough on Tuesday.
The Blues sit one point and one place above the Championship relegation zone after four games without a victory. Japhet Tanganga scored in the 90th minute to give Millwall a 1-0 win over the Blues on Saturday.
Interim manager Mark Venus and his players were once again left upset by a judgment made against them at The Den. Blues believed they should have been awarded a penalty after Joe Bryan dragged Jay Stansfield to the ground in the second half.
It was the second contentious judgment made against the Blues last week, following Ozan Tufan’s goal for Hull City in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw. Tufan, a Turkey international, handled the ball into the net, but neither referee Keith Stroud nor his helper on the far side noticed.
James Wilson, who was one of Stroud’s helpers that night at the MKM Stadium, was scheduled to run the line at St Andrew’s tomorrow. According to BirminghamLive, Wilson will no longer participate in the game, and Sam Lewis has been drafted in to complete the officials’ team.
Andy Davies will referee the game, with Graham Kane and Lewis as assistants and Jeremy Simpson serving as fourth official. Davies, 44, took charge of the Blues’ 2-0 loss at Sheffield Wednesday last month.
