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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 20h

The "liquorice all-sorts" kit! I must say the later all-white version with the orange and black trim reminded me even more of that, a great strip and for me always conjures up those great David Pleat sides.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

An unknown Italian referee seen during the Luton-Fiorentina Anglo-Italian Cup game in April 1973 - Luton (in their new amber shirts) won 1-0. In this tournament Italian officials took charge of the games played in England & Football League officials handled the games in Italy.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I think this is the first time I've come across player naming the fine soul singer Millie Jackson as one of their favourites. She's rather different to Gallagher & Lyle & sometimes you get players naming radically different favourites, e.g. "Frank Sinatra & The Clash" (actually no-one's done that!)

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

A young Ken Redfern (Whitley Bay) interviewed after the Blackpool-Chester game in December 1978. his first season on the full list. After a long career he was due to retire in 1992 but was granted an age extension and had one final season during which he was one of the first Premier League refs.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Referee Eric Read (Bristol) & linesmen before the Sheffield Wednesday-Arsenal FA Cup 3rd Round game in January 1979. As a sign of changing times this game went to 4 replays before Arsenal won 2-0, going on to win the Cup. He was a League referee from 1974 to 1985, the last season based in Eastleigh.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Referee Dennis Pugh makes his point circa 1971. A primary school headteacher from Chester (hence the Cheshire FA badge) he became a Football League ref in 1967 & had four full seasons on the list before stepping down due to work commitments during the 1971-1972 season.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Referee Harry Powell (Stourport) observes an aerial challenge in the Luton-Grimsby League Cup tie in October 1973. He had 2 seasons as a supplementary referee (1970-1972) and was on the full list from 1972 until resigning in late 1974. He continued refereeing in local football until his 70s.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

It was a long time ago but it's a nice clear image of the ref as well as Bobby Charlton. When I've posted pictures over the years I try to be "democratic" and represent as wide a variety of officials as possible, not just big names (as much as any referee is a "big name"!)

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Spanish referee Gaspar Pintado looks on as Bobby Charlton of England receives an award for his 100th cap before the match v Northern Ireland in April 1970.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Pictures and detailed profiles of the officials for the 1991-1992 Scottish Junior Cup Final. Linesman Dougie Smith later became known for a bizarre incident as referee - he had dropped his yellow card which was picked up by Paul Gascoigne who "cautioned" him & was then cautioned for real in return.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Match postponed, not an unfamiliar event at Rochdale in those days. They won the rearranged fixture 3-1 on 24th February.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

It's a very distant era so there will be very few people who recognise early 1960s referees aside from the handful of better-known ones. I didn't recognise him initially either but recalled a similar picture from this game appearing before where he was identified as ref.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Although the referee resembles Tony Glasson he didn't come on to the list until the 1970s. I believe this is from the match between the clubs in March 1962 and the referee is Harold Horner of Coventry.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

A dubious distinction for Jim Steele is that he was the only player sent off in a domestic game by referee Gordon Hill in his 9 seasons as a Football League ref - sent off a second caution in the 1974-1975 Texaco Cup Final between Southampton and Newcastle.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Referee Derek Nippard (Bournemouth) pictured in 1970. This was early in his 11 seasons as a Football League ref (1967-1978) which culminated in him being in charge of the 1978 FA Cup Final in which Ipswich beat Arsenal.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Line-ups for the Bradford Park Avenue-Hartlepool game in 1970. Referee Arthur Jones (Ormskirk) was in the middle of his long career as a Football League ref (1963-1977). Bradford players Terry Dolan and Graham Carr both went on to be managers, the latter's son being comedian Alan Carr.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Bradford Park Avenue-Hartlepool programme from March 1970, their penultimate home game in the Football League. This was 92nd place v 91st & Bradford won 3-0, their last ever victory as a League club. They lost their last 5 games conceding 18 goals & that summer were voted out of the League.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

I knew Vic Halom also played for Sunderland but hadn't realised he went there from Luton - players moving often a bugbear for fans.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Referee Ricky Nicholson (Davyhulme, Manchester) has words with Vic Halom of Luton in a match at Sunderland in October 1971. This was the last of his 8 seasons as a Football League ref (1964-1972).

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Syd Kayley (below) & Roy Capey both had 10 seasons on the list but it's much easier to find pictures of the latter. Their careers partly overlapped but Capey was mainly active in the 70s, Kayley in the 60s and it's much harder to find pictures of refs before 1970 bar the "big names".

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

I'd seen the Newcastle footage some years ago but confusingly it was shown in a programme about the 1970s. I have to admit I did need the programme to help out but closer inspection of the film confirms it's Syd Kayley. The ever-smiling and amiable Roy Capey at Bradford was easier to identify.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

You're quite right that there's never been any golden age for referees - even reading reports from football's early days reveals the abuse they received. I think assistants are even more exposed - particularly to the crowd - and really dependent on the referee if they face abuse from the players.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

One of the parts that struck me was when the Arsenal chairman Denis Hill-Wood was asked about why so many managers were sacked and he raised this whole question of fan unrest, players being unhappy, etc. I think sometimes boards feel pushed into these decisions to pacify fans and sometimes players.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

One of the things that struck me in the documentary was the frankness and level of insight of those interviewed and I think they opened up a lot more because they weren't being interviewed by the usual football journalists who often fall back on such cliched questions.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

It is an excellent documentary. The referees we see featured are Roy Capey (Madeley Heath) at Bradford Park Avenue and Syd Kayley (Preston) at Newcastle although it seems to be the unfortunate linesman receiving most of the abuse, a sobering sight for those who go on about the "good old days".

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

It's always interesting when a profile has some more unusual answers such as this one, e.g. biggest thrill - scoring against West Ham who rejected him as a youngster, likes including Thailand, Spike Milligan and Jimi Hendrix.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

I think Chris Foy was the last in the Premier League, referees had a choice of diagonal until 2007.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

An unusual fact about John Hunting is that although he was an English FIFA referee he always had his assistants on right-backs throughout his domestic games - all the other English FIFA refs either switched diagonal at half-time or had them on left-backs throughout as per international convention.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Referee Harry New (Bristol) with the Crystal Palace keeper during the Palace-Arsenal game in October 1972, one of many Division 1 games he refereed in his 15 seasons as a Football league ref. Until 1970 he was based in Havant during which he was in charge of the 1968 Charity Shield.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Rather appropriately given his choice of "favourite other team" Mark Higgins later joined Manchester United.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Referee Tony Morrissey (Bramhall, Cheshire) with Johnny Giles of Leeds in 1972. A very tall referee for that era he was a League ref from 1968 to 1979 when he had to retire early due to injury.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

This letter about Tommy Hutchison in 1968 from an Oldham fan proved to be very perceptive - Tommy had a trial at Oldham but wasn't signed by them, went back to Scotland, later signed by Blackpool & then went on to a very long and successful career. "What might have been?" for Oldham (& Tommy)...

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Referee Kevin McNally (Ellesmere Port) pictured in January 1980. A very young ref when appointed to the supplementary list in 1971 he was promoted to the full list a year later, serving until November 1980.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

In the early 1970s yellow was really taking off as a change colour - this yellow-and-blue combination was very much the fashion at first before all-yellow took off.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Referee Angus McDonald (Birmingham) during the Nottingham Forest-Leeds game in April 1978. He was a supplementary referee 1975-1977 and then on the full list from 1977 to 1979, moving to nearby Sutton Coldfield in his last season. Although based in the West Midlands he was Scottish.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Fabulous example of how to seamlessly switch from football to philosophical reflections, e.g. "guilt is an acquired emotion", and back again. Not sure what the fans thought of such cerebral observations!

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Referee George McCabe (Sheffield) receives his medal at the end of the 1969 FA Cup Final between Manchester City & Leicester, his last match after 15 seasons as a Football League ref (1954-1969), the last 9 also on the FIFA list. Senior linesman Ken Burns is just visible behind him.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Referee Jassim Mandi (Bahrain) pictured in 1988.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

The Football League made the decision. It seems he wanted to carry on feeling that the convictions should not affect his place as they were not football-related but the League disagreed. I think it's likely this would be the outcome for any referee convicted for an offence involving dishonesty.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

It was connected with claims on travel insurance policies. He was convicted and then removed by the League the following month.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Kevin McNally left the list in November 1980 after being convicted of fraud and deception (not related to football).

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Kevin McNally was one of the best-known referees of that era but that was chiefly due to the controversial decisions in many of his games. It was rather apt that a referee who was a newsagent was so often making the headlines!

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Referee Steve Lodge (Barnsley), 1999. He was a Football League referee from 1987, a FIFA referee from 1992 to 1997 and one of the first Premier League refs from 1992 until his retirement in 2001.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

I think this is a case where you say to the editor "just one more thing..."

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Action - I think - from the Manchester United-AC Milan European Cup Semi-Final in May 1969. If that is the right game the referee is Roger Machin of France, @refbooks.bsky.social can probably confirm if I am correct.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

An unusual feature here is that referee Tom Reynolds - although representing Wales where he had lived for many years - had been born and raised in England, a rare occasion where the referee of an England game had such a background.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

The official in the image looks like linesman Ron Bridges who later became a Football League & Welsh international referee. Tom Reynolds had rather less hair and indeed was later probably the first British referee to shave his head.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Referee Michael Lowe (Sheffield) observes an unusual challenge in the Middlesbrough-Luton Division 2 game in November 1973 - Middlesbrough won the Title by 15 points with Luton finishing second. Mike Lowe was a supplementary ref in 1971-1972 & then on the full list from 1972 to 1982.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Referee Ralph Lee (Cheadle, Cheshire) close to the action in the Bristol City-Luton Division 2 game in October 1972. He was a supplementary referee 1969-1970 & then on the full list from 1970 to 1976.

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Referee Retrospective @refereeretro.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Although representing Australia Chris Bambridge was originally from Kettering in England - these line-ups from a Kettering-Burnley friendly game in 1973 show him on the line before he emigrated.

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