He may be the bete noire of furious fans and puce pundits, but the retiring referee has the skills to set Stockley Park straight
Leicester City’s 1-0 victory against Southampton at Filbert Street on Saturday 9 September 2000 was a thoroughly unremarkable game. The home side dominated for long periods before the original Harry Maguire prototype, Gerry Taggart, headed them into a deserved lead from a Steve Guppy corner after 66 minutes. Leicester held out for the win, surviving a late penalty appeal from Southampton when James Beattie went down under a challenge from Tim Flowers.
While the match may not have lived long in the memory of anyone who saw or played in it, it was a very special occasion for at least one participant. Recently promoted to the Select Group of Premier League referees, a 32-year-old match official from Wirral took charge of the game. It was his first in the top flight and, despite the presence on the pitch of Robbie Savage, a player who was as argumentative as he was combative, it could scarcely have been more straightforward for the novice whistleblower.