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Author Topic: David Smith - Obituary  (Read 1164 times)

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David Smith - Obituary
« on: Tue 06 Oct 2020 22:29 »
Stroud News

1st December 2010

Former referee D.W. Smith dies aged 84

By Crispin Northey
   
David Smith, better known as Football League and FIFA referee D.W. Smith, has died at the age of 84.

David, of Melbourne Drive, Stonehouse, will be best remembered as the referee for the centenary 1972 F.A. Cup Final between Leeds and Arsenal.

Born in Barnet, where he first got the football bug, David served as a football league referee from 1959 to 1974 and as a FIFA referee from 1968 to 1974.

His final match at the very top was the infamous Manchester derby on 27th April1974 , when after Dennis Law had back-heeled the ball into the United net to put City one up and the certainty that United would be relegated, with eight minutes left before the end of the game home fans spilled on to the pitch.

David took all the players off and when he brought them back again a hail of missiles followed and despite Sir Matt Busby’s appeals, the fans came on again.

Back in the dressing room, Smith abandoned the game once he heard that other results meant United would go down anyway, and the result was allowed to stand.

It was a sad end to his long career but he will always be remembered for his no-nonsense style of officiating and being clearly identified at matches with his blonde hair and trademark white handkerchief sticking out of his back pocket.

Calling many a player to him after some indiscretion on the field, they immediately thought that their name was to be taken when David went to his pocket, only for him to pull out the hanky and wipe his nose.

Besides his service to refereeing, not only as an active referee but assessor and mentor, he spent many years in the service of his beloved Gloucestershire F.A. as an administrator and secretary for the Stroud & District League.

David is survived by his wife Ann, with whom he celebrated his 65th wedding anniversary on 10th November, and his son Terry.

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Re: David Smith - Obituary
« Reply #1 on: Wed 07 Oct 2020 06:14 »
At 65 years David Smith is probably the longest married referee

With his birth registered in Q4 1926 he was 19, or just 20 when he married on 10th November 1945

His wife (nee Smith !) was about 18 months older than him
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Re: David Smith - Obituary
« Reply #2 on: Wed 07 Oct 2020 23:22 »
A very good referee who used to get many top First Division appointments in his 15 years on the national list.  By profession he was an overhead linesman with the then Midlands Electricity Board so in addition to reaching the heights in his career as a football linesman and referee, he also did the same in his day job!

He was based in Stonehouse, a small town in Gloucestershire, which had the distinction of having a second leading League referee at about the same time in Brian Srevens - I suppose making it the Tring of its day.
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Re: David Smith - Obituary
« Reply #3 on: Thu 08 Oct 2020 08:31 »
Non F.L. places with two or more F.L. referees in the same season (up to 1968-69)

Pre WWI - Altrincham, Brockley (Lewisham), Kettering, Leek, Wednesbury

Inter War - Altrincham, Ashton under Lyne, Birkenhead, East Ham, Forest Gate, Harlesden, Histon, llford, Kidderminster, Long Eaton, Newton Le Willows, Northwich, Palmers Green, Putney, Tamworth, Willenhall, Willesden

Post WW2 (to 1968-69) - Bath, Cheadle, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Morecambe, Pontefract, Thornton Heath, Worcester (generally overlapping for one season only, the exceptions being Great Yarmouth, Pontefract and Worcester)

Overall the leaders by some way are Sheffield -
Pre WWI - 19
Inter War - 17
Post War (to 1968-69) - 11
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Re: David Smith - Obituary
« Reply #4 on: Fri 09 Oct 2020 09:01 »
Thank you JT - that's far more than I ever imagined.
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Re: David Smith - Obituary
« Reply #5 on: Sat 10 Oct 2020 11:17 »
Thank you JT. 'Thornton Heath' - my old neck of the woods. I think W (Bill) Dellow was actually from the Thornton Heath area although he is shown as 'Croydon'. A good man and very active in local refereeing circles when I first took up the whistle. 7 consecutive seasons as a supplementary (before my time), surely some kind of record. W Ross-Gower (1939/47) is shown as from 'Norbury' which is next door to TH, and is one of a number of Ross-Gowers who were very involved in refereeing matters in the area over the years. I was a bit surprised not to see my adopted home town of Crewe on the list with two or more refs, but then I noted that it stops at 1968/9, and the Crewe contingent took shape in the 1970s; also Kendal had a good number of FL refs for a town of its size but not before the 1970s. Some towns go together, for example Thornton Heath and Norbury, Crewe and Nantwich (Neville Ashley), but Roy Capey is shown in Upton's as from 'Madeley Heath, Crewe' which is in fact in a different county (Staffs) to Crewe (Cheshire), such are the borders between the two. Thanks again JT, v informative.   
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