Luton Town v West Ham United
Premier League, Kenilworth Road, Friday 1 September 2023, 8pm BST
Referee: Paul Tierney
Assistants: Neil Davies & Scott Ledger
Fourth official: Craig Pawson
VAR: John Brooks
Assistant VAR: Steve Meredith
Paul Tierney has been named as the referee for West Ham United’s trip to face newly-promoted Luton Town on Friday evening.
The 42-year-old official from Wigan has been a Premier League referee since 2014 and has notably taken charge of the 2019 Championship play-off final between Aston Villa and Derby County, the 2021 EFL Cup final between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, and most recent the 2023 FA Cup Final which saw City defeat Manchester United.
Tierney has refereed one Premier League match so far this campaign, officiating the 2-2 draw between Arsenal and Fulham on Saturday.
He took charge of two West Ham Premier League matches last season in the English top flight; the 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in October 2022 and the 1-0 victory against Southampton in April.
Tierney will once again be joined by Neil Davies and Scott Ledger in officiating Friday’s match at Kenilworth road, with the duo also serving as assistant referees at the Emirates Stadium last weekend.
Ledger was also called on as an assistant for Brentford’s 3-0 win at Fulham on the opening day of the 2023/24 season, while both also joined Tierney in working at the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium back in early June.
Ledger is one of the Premier League’s most experienced assistant officials, having been a consistent figure on the line since the 2010/11 season, while Davies stepped into the English top flight for the first time in the 2017/18 campaign.
Fourth official duties are once again being undertaken by Craig Pawson. The 44-year-old was the fourth official for our 3-1 win over Chelsea at London Stadium on August 20 2023, and has been the referee for two Premier League matches this season; Manchester City’s 3-0 win at Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ 1-0 win at Everton on Saturday.
Video Assistant Referee responsibilities will be overseen by John Brooks. Brooks has been a Premier League referee since June 2021 and was the official for our victory against Chelsea two weeks ago.
Brooks also officiated 19 Premier League matches last season, although only one of these included West Ham United. He was the referee for the Irons’ defeat at Manchester City in May.
