Grade: Category 5 referee  

Year Started Refereeing: November 2007

First Match: 1^st match was a Castlehead school game and my 1^st P&D league appointment was Renfrew Victoria V Antonine.

Career Highlights:
2011 Scotland V Northern Ireland. Cerebral palsy match. (Referee)
2010 P&D Schools U14s Cup final (Referee)
2011 P&D schools U13s league playoff (Referee)
2010 SSFA Soccer 7s National final (Referee)   

Do you have any advice for young/new referees?
Attend training and meeting. If you can, work on your fitness and take every opportunity you get. Don’t be frightened to make unpopular decisions. Learn something from every game you referee, even if the game went really well you can learn something and always take one positive away from every game. 

Have you had any funny/strange things happen at/during a game?
I refereed a friendly match a couple of seasons ago, I summoned a player over, told him he was being cautioned put my hand into my pocket and produced a red card; I put the card back into my pocket unaware of what I had done. The coach was to say the least not amused and questioning why I had ordered off his player only to be asked by the referee what he was talking about? Not my finest moment!! I reversed the decision to the original caution so everyone was happy.

Favorites

Food -Indian, Chinese, etc:Indian or Italian. As long as its not salad I’ll eat it 

Drink - Coke, water, beer, etc: Lemonade or Irn Bru

Music - Pop, Indy, Dance, etc:Anything and everything. I listen to Smooth radio but have Biffy Clyro, Frank Sinatra and Russell Watson on the iPod.  

Movies - Action, Comedy, Horror, etc:I don’t watch films. I fall asleep half way through them and miss the rest of it. Better with stand up comedy.  

Grade: FIFA Referee since 2003

Category 1 Referee since 2000

Year Started Refereeing: 1988

First Match: Schools match involving Williamwood High School. In Senior football as assistant referee between St Mirren v Norwich City and as a referee a third division match between Montrose and East Stirling.

Career Highlights:

Homecoming Scottish Cup Final 2009, Rangers Vs Falkirk 30/05/09 - Hampden Park, Glasgow

UEFA European Championships 2008 in Austria and Switzerland

UEFA U21 Championship 2007 in the Netherlands

FIFA U17 World Cup Finals 2007 in South Korea

Do you have any advice for young/new referees? "The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses – behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road!" Muhammad Ali

Have you had any funny/strange things happen at/during a game? Refereeing my twin brother in a school’s match when he was captain. The look on the face of the opposing captain at kick off was priceless.

Favourites

Food -Indian, Chinese, etc: Any dish involving chicken

Drink - Coke, water, beer, etc: Any sports drink or diluting orange 

Music - Pop, Indy, Dance, etc: Pop

Movies - Action, Comedy, Horror, etc: Comedy and/or Action

Occupation: Student Teacher

Grade: 5

Year Started Refereeing: 2008

First Match: Erskine v Glennifer Thistle

What or who influenced you to become a referee?
I cant play football and always wanted to be involved like many referees but I always had an interest in refereeing after meeting Kenny Clark at a young age.

Career Highlights:
Girvan v Ayr Utd Assistant Referee
Scotland v Ireland Cerebral Palsy Challenge match Assistant Referee
P&D Schools league final U14 2011 Referee
P&D Schools final U13 2012 Referee

If you could take charge of any match, involving any teams, what would it be? Would have to be the El Classico at the Neu Camp would be a very fun game to referee

Apart from Refereeing what are you hobbies?
Golf, playing guitar, socialising, fishing.

Do you have any advice for young/new referees? 
Enjoy your games and do it with a smile on your face. Talk to players throughout the game and never be scared to hold your hands up and admit your wrong and use other members for advice if you’ve had it then without a doubt one of the members has also had it.

If something happens during your match do you have a fellow referee you will turn to for support and to discuses it, if so who?
Probably William Insch, the two of us are inseparable at most times he helped me out a lot when I was starting out.

Have you had any funny/strange things happen at/during a game? 
I’ve had a few…. Would have to be when I was at Girvan for a friendly and I was on the line, it was my first time I had ever been involved in a Junior game. As I ran out of the tunnel I could swear I could hear someone in the stand calling my name out, I thought I was hearing things and as I came in for half time I heard it again, I had a quick look around and couldn’t see anyone. After half time I came out for the second half and again I heard my name being shouted from the crowd, after the game I had a good look in the crowd to see if I could recognize anyone but I couldn’t. To this day I have no idea who it was that was calling my name from the terraces of Girvan.

What is the best thing about being a referee?
Getting up on a Saturday and doing a game, the buzz is great.

If you could change one aspect of the Laws of The Game what would if be and why?
Offside. If your off your off just like it was in John Reids day (years ago)

Name and shame

Of all the referees you know who in your opinion…

 Has the least fashion sense?
Some might say me and probably is I do own some weird shirts.

Has the worst banter?
Barry Cook, worst jokes and his singing is terrible

Longest to get ready?
William Insch by a country mile. I’m usually dressed with my kit bag packed after a game just as he’s out the shower

Worst trainer?
Again I’d have to say me, seem to have a season ticket to see Bobby on occasions

Best trainer?
Craig Thomson, after a heavy session he looks like he could do it all over again.

Favorites

Food:Italian

Drink:Fresh Orange Juice

Music: Biffy Clyro, Twin Atlantic, The Jam, The Beatles

Movies: TED, Inbetweeners anything funny

Grade: Category 5 referee

Year Started Refereeing:1982

First Match: Weirs Rec v Barr & Stroud, West of Scotland League

Year Started Refereeing:1982

Career Highlights:

Northern Ireland Women Vs Wales Women, U15's Schools (Assistant Referee)

Scotland Vs Republic of Ireland, U18's Schools (4th Official)

Scotland Vs France, U15's Schools (Assistant Referee)

Have you had any funny/strange things happen at/during a game? I went on to the field of play with my shorts on back to front. I didn't know if I was coming or going.

Do you have any advice for young/new referees? Enjoy the training, work hard and you never know what you can achieve. All of my career highlights above came after I reached the age of 50.

Favourites

Food -Indian, Chinese, etc: Seafood especially scallops

Drink - Coke, water, beer, etc: Red Wine or Beer

Music - Pop, Indy, Dance, etc: Sixties, especially the Beatles

Movies - Action, Comedy, Horror, etc: Calamity Jane (Doris Day) but that's testing the young ones.