EFL make official decision ahead of Blackburn Rovers vs Portsmouth Championship clash

The EFL have confirmed that Farai Hallam will be the referee for Portsmouth’s upcoming away match against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park. Hallam is currently in his third season as a referee and has taken charge of a combined total of 27 matches in that time, with 14 of those coming this season. Over the course of his career, he has handed out 63 yellow cards but has not yet needed to send anyone off.

In the past, he has overseen just one Portsmouth game which came in the Football League trophy against Gillingham last season when John Mousinho’s men ran out 5-1 winners. Mark Stevens and Matthew McGrath will both act as linesmen during the contest while James Bell will be the fourth official. Portsmouth are targeting just their second away victory of the season but will enter the game with confidence on the back of an impressive 3-1 home victory against Preston North End last time out.

Pompey are second bottom of the table but just three points away from safety, with a number of results going in their favour before the international break.

Portsmouth’s upcoming opponents

Blackburn Rovers have had a much improved start to this season after a difficult battle with relegation last term, the Riversiders, under the guidance of John Eustace, sit ninth in the table and only three point adrift of the play-off places. They have lost three of their last four Championship matches but returned to winning ways last time out with a 3-1 victory away to Cardiff City.

Speaking about his side’s start to the campaign, Eustace said: "Over the course of 15 games, we've shown really good signs of doing some good things. We're a good team and we've only let ourselves down on a few occasions. Some games we have played very well and not got results. It's about growing and evolving as a group. A third of the way through, we're content with where we are but we want more. The group is fantastic to work with and it's important to keep building and keep investing. We want this club to go forward and that's why I came here.

"The ambition has to be to get back in the Premier League and that doesn't happen without good people and good investment. We will give it a go (this season) but the most important thing is to keep improving. We have players who don't know the leagues, they're getting used to those levels. The group can stick together and you are building a core group that you can add to each summer. Who knows where that can then take you?"

Blackburn have beaten two newly promoted teams already in Derby County and Oxford United but are wary of the threat the League One holders pose.

"I have watched their last six or seven games but they're a very good team. They haven't had the rub of the green in some games," Eustace said.

"They should have more points than they have, they were excellent against Preston. They score in nearly every game, John (Mousinho) is an excellent coach with a team that are fighting. It will be a tough game. They should have more points and I expect them to climb the league by the end of the season.”

Blackburn are unbeaten in all of their last five league games against Pompey, since a 3-2 loss at Fratton Park in the Premier League back in November 2008. Tony Adams was the manager of the Blues that day and Peter Crouch, Jermaine Defoe and Steven Davis were all on the scoresheet.