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The arbitration tribunal has handed down its ruling today on the Leeds United appeal against the Football League 15 point deduction from the League One points tally for season 2007-08.

The arbitration tribunal has ruled against Ken Bates and Leeds United by reinstating NO points. Leeds United therefore remain on 73 points and in the final, sixth, play-off position. If they beat Gillingham on Saturday and Southend United lose they may be able to go up one place.

The automatic promotion place now depends on the final game of the season with Doncaster Rovers, Nottingham Forest and Carlisle United all able to take the coveted spot. Therefore, at the moment Leeds United have no idea who they will face in the play-off semi-final.

A disappointing result but not totally unexpected - so on to the play-offs and Wembley!

45 year old Select Group referee Phil Dowd of Stoke has been given charge of the Leeds United v Gillingham game at Elland Road this Saturday, by the Football League.

Once described as the “worst referee in the Premiership” by an unnamed Premership manager (per Paul Jewell), Dowd, nonetheless, spends most of his time refereeing top flight matches. You will have seen him on TV this season; he reffed the Liverpool 5 v 2 Havant match in the FA Cup, the Chelsea 4 v 4 Aston Villa game and Everton’s memorable 7 v 1 Sunderland win.

He has only officiated at two League One games this 2007-08 season - and one was a Leeds United match - the 3-1 away defeat to Carlisle United! During this match he produced six yellow cards, five against Leeds; Jamie Clapham, Matt Heath, Andy Hughes, Tresor Kandol and Dave Prutton! Surely the Football League realise it’s too late to stop Leeds getting into the play-offs?

This season Dowd has brandished the yellow card 119 times and the red card 10 times. Incredibly, neither is a record! In 2005-2006 season in 46 matches he produced 183 yellow cards, an average of 3.98 per game! In 2001-02 in just 29 games he showed 13 red cards - that’s a sending off every 2.23 matches! His best individual tally must be 10 yellows and 2 reds in the March 2006 meeting of Liverpool and Everton at Anfield. Despite everything at stake on Saturday for Leeds and Gillingham let’s hope his cards stay in his pocket.

The other officials will be A. Butler and M. Scholes and the fourth official will be D. Whitestone. Whitestone is a regular Leagues One and Two referee, although he hasn’t been in charge of a Leeds United game this season. He has managed to clock up the same number of red cards as Dowd in just 75% of the number of games and his tally of 93 yellow cards is a bit tasty for just 31 games in charge.

Let’s hope Dowd has a safe match - we don’t want to be losing more players to suspensions with the play-offs coming up.