Famous referees from Donny...

[Wokingviking]

...Unveil yourself Padge (see post further down), that's great if we've got someone ref-ing at Conference level standard, I'm not aware of anyone else from the town ref-ing at that level.

At a lower level, did you know Alf the taxi-driver, a bloke we all respected, who passed away recently? - I know he only did local football, but he was special; I only remember playing with him in the middle once, but I thought then what a brilliant bloke he was.

Ernie Crawford* was probably our last flagship referee, ref'd the World Cup I think, and I remember him giving his time to ref a local cup final for a kids game I played in (Intake Invaders in the 70's) and I also remember him taking the flag once at OBV in the 70's when the ref got injured (bit like Jimmy Hill once did but he got a bit more publicity).

* Just remembered that someone recently posted that Ernie should have got the '66 Cup final but was barred for geographics because of Wednesday, or am I wrong?

[mutleyrover]

My dad used to be an official in the top division back in the 1980s. He mainly ran the line but did end up refereeing a few games in the top flight.  Used to referee at the lower levels, particularly conference.

The Rovers used to call on his services for early pitch inspections at Belle Vue, to save the referee having to travel if there was no chance of the game being on.

[tommy toes]

I used to work with Ernie Crawford at the Plant. I often wondered how he coped with the pressure of being a top flight Ref as he was a chain smoking bag of nerves.

[tommy toes]

.....he was a very nice bloke though I should add.

[Surrey Rover]

Les Hayes was another top referee from Doncaster who officiated on the league list during the 70s

[RedRover45]

Roger Furnandiz reffed in the Football League in the 80's and 90's.

[The Red Baron]

Ernie Crawford was a member of the 1966 World Cup referees panel but was only used as a linesman- as was the future WCF referee Jack Taylor.

It was Taylor who got the 1966 FA Cup Final only eight years after becoming a League referee (he was appointed to the list at 29, which was almost unheard of in those days.) At that time the FA Cup Final was usually given to refs in their final season, so Ernie Crawford would have been well in line for the job.

He did referee the final of the 1962-63 League Cup final (the first leg between Birmingham and Villa) but in those days, when the final was a two-leg affair it wasn't as prestigious a competition as it is now.

[Wellred]

I remember one of the Bassindales (not sure which) who was a football league linesman some time ago.

[Bentley Bullet]

mutleyrover wrote:

My dad used to be an official in the top division back in the 1980s. He mainly ran the line but did end up refereeing a few games in the top flight.  Used to referee at the lower levels, particularly conference.

The Rovers used to call on his services for early pitch inspections at Belle Vue, to save the referee having to travel if there was no chance of the game being on.

Is your Dad Mick Kilby by any chance? If so I remember him at Bridon back in the eighties where he used to tell me stories of his refereeing exploits.
 Was very unlucky not to get higher in the game by all accounts.

[The Red Baron]

Wellred wrote:

I remember one of the Bassindales (not sure which) who was a football league linesman some time ago.

Carl Bassindale was a FL linesman and I think his dad was as well.

There's a chap called Richard Wigglesworth who is a current FL linesman and is listed as from Doncaster. He's also a Level 2 and referees on the Blue Square Premier. He could be our next FL ref.

[colfromdonny]

I remember Les Hayes when I was an apprentice, apparently he sent the wrong person off on match of the day and used to say ''I.ve had 30,000 people calling me a ba$t%rd so you lot can't upset me'' Seem to remember as a good bloke.

[graingrover]

Ernie Crawford used to train at Belle Vue on Wednesday nights with the Juniors . He made me feel important when during a friendly against the A team he would add little asides like .. well done son .. good shot or ...go in with your shoulder next time and you won't get winded !! That was his way of being a real part of what was going on in the match for every single player .

[Padge_DRFC]

At a lower level, did you know Alf the taxi-driver, a bloke we all respected, who passed away recently? - I know he only did local football, but he was special; I only remember playing with him in the middle once, but I thought then what a brilliant bloke he was.

The bloke was a legend on the Sunday morning circuit. When I first started he always down at Cantley Park every morning. To be honest the majority of players respected him. Unfortunately nobody has really said anything about it.

[Padge_DRFC]

Current football leaguers on the line from Donny are Chris Akers (Armthorpe) and Mark Griffiths (Barnby Dun)

Today I was on the line at Eastwood Town v Stafford Rangers. Conference North footballs actually a pretty decent standard, not surprising as we all, well I think we should all have respect for the conference.

[atick45]

Ernie Crawford was my boss when I worked at the Plant. He could tell a good tale or two and loved nothing more than talking football . I can still see him now colouring in his tash with a black crayon and saying how he thought he resembled David Niven. A proper football man with a lot of tales to tell,,,,,,,,,,, Happy Times

[BobG]

I remember being with my Dad, quite a few times, when Ernie walked past Plover School (where dad was a teacher at the time). They both always stopped for a natter. He was nice to me, though being about 8 years old I wasn't too interested! I think he lived somewhere round there.

Cheers

BobG

[TheRev]

Carl Bassingdale used to live in Wheatley Hills as a young un I remember.

Other \"Plant Work\" lads with a whistle include Alan Clayton. Well he works at Wabtec Rail and refs in the NWCL as he's based in Hyde and runs the line in Conference games.

[Highland Rover]

Anyone remember Tony Topham , he was my next door neighbour in Rosso.

Had many stories about his refereeing career ,including games at Anfield and  

UEFA games in eastern Europe .

Used to run us around in his dodgy mini to local games .

Sadly , he is no longer with us .

[mutleyrover]

Nothing dodgy about that mini, now the Sooty van was a different story.

[nightporter]

Ernie lived on Malvern RD (just behind plover) a few doors away from me.

[the dons]

There was a teacher at our school in the earley 60`s who was on the league list called SID POULTON, the school was WHEATLEY HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOR BOYS,Sid lived in Cantley and was a great bloke.

[Wellred]

Sid was a linesman and a great bloke. Dry as old boots. As a kid I lived a few doors away and was mates with his two sons.

[roversam]

Highland Rover wrote:

Anyone remember Tony Topham , he was my next door neighbour in Rosso.

Had many stories about his refereeing career ,including games at Anfield and  

UEFA games in eastern Europe .

Used to run us around in his dodgy mini to local games .

Sadly , he is no longer with us .

I remember Tony very well, he was brought up in Hexthorpe same as me, sorry to hear he has passed away, he was a top bloke. We used to see him regulary in the pop side with his kit bag, he used to hope one of the officials would get injured so he could replace them, which actually did happen on the odd occasion.

[scawsby steve]

mutleyrover wrote:

My dad used to be an official in the top division back in the 1980s. He mainly ran the line but did end up refereeing a few games in the top flight.  Used to referee at the lower levels, particularly conference.

The Rovers used to call on his services for early pitch inspections at Belle Vue, to save the referee having to travel if there was no chance of the game being on.

Is your Dad Mick Kilby by any chance? If so I remember him at Bridon back in the eighties where he used to tell me stories of his refereeing exploits.
 Was very unlucky not to get higher in the game by all accounts.

Mick was a good mate of mine, BB. Until he took up reffing, he was a Rovers fanatic, at most games home and away. Him and Trev Smart from Bentley were always scrapping with away fans.

You're right about him being unlucky not to make it to the Football League. I think he made it to the Alliance Premier League, which was a forerunner to the Conference League.

[redbrez]

Taxi allf used to make me laugh ,commentary all way through the game
You would get a leg breaking challenge ,and he would say good tackle ,but if you swore that would cause a bollocking
Great guy and great character

[phil o sophical]

There was a teacher at our school in the earley 60`s who was on the league list called SID POULTON, the school was WHEATLEY HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOR BOYS,Sid lived in Cantley and was a great bloke.

Was he a maths teacher ?

[IDM]

Andy Butler is a ref isn’t be.?

[Nudga]

Is Lee Turnbull still reffing?

[POD]

Sid was a linesman and a great bloke. Dry as old boots. As a kid I lived a few doors away and was mates with his two sons.

Sid Poulton was Linesman at the 1969 League Cup Final at Wembley between Arsenal and Swindon Town, which remarkably Swindon won.   He was President of Doncaster Referees Society for many years. 

[WarwickRover]

Sid Poulton was my father. He was a teacher, originally a PE teacher and then a Maths teacher at Wheatley High School for Boys and then Head of Maths at Woodfield (I think that was the name but anyway up Balby way) He was a referee in Doncaster and Sheffield and a Linesman on the football league for many years.