We continue our feature looking at the members of the Scunthorpe Referee’s Association and their career as a match official.
The latest featured Scunthorpe Referee’s Association member is Kevin Allen, who has been refereeing for almost four decades after picking up the whistle in 1982 at the age of 28.
This is the first of a series with the ex-Army official as he takes us through some of his memories from his postings over the years.
We first focus on a couple of stories from his time in Northern Ireland, which saw him officiate there for two seasons.
“While on leave during this period I got a phone call one Saturday afternoon about 2pm from Ken Stones,” Kevin explained.
“There was a League Cup match at the Old Show Ground – one of the assistant referees had called off at short notice and I needed to be there as soon as possible. The referee was surprised to see an Army ref and even more surprised I was a level 2 (now level 7 or 6).
“His briefing was short; throw-ins and offsides only, leave the rest to him.”
