RateTheRef

i think its a possibility hes take over at the last minute as a replacement, as hes listed in the match report and as the ref in lineups. this is from the sunday people 12 dec 1971


theres nothing in report to say hes a replacement, and the telegraph and sunday times either dont report on match or dont list lineups/ref

Still could be programme/reporter error.
I do remember Mr Hayes,but don't have a clue about the match in question,even though it was in my area.I did have the Official Appointments and I am sure I would have remembered such an unusual event of a supplementary referee having a First Division match,even if it was a late replacement.

I do think a mistake in the newspaper report is a distinct possibility. It's very likely Les Hayes was on the line but sometimes teamsheets or programme line-ups are laid out in a potentially confusing way which might give the impression one of the linesmen was the referee. Sometimes though there is an outright mistake in the teamsheet or programme. I posted one a while ago from an Arsenal-Palace game in 1970 where D.F. Pond of Chelmsford was wrongly credited as referee with Dennis Turner of Cannock listed as one of the linesmen.

Sometimes though referees are replaced at a very late stage and a linesman does have to take charge and this might have happened in the Huddersfield game. It certainly did happen in the Blackpool-Fulham game I mentioned where Bob Porthouse took charge as the match report mentioned about the referee being unable to get to the match.

kirkpatrick is a good shout, ive checked other matches in other leagues and he doesnt appear in any matches in div2 for that weekend.

cant verify him reffing palace with anything though

two refs found

24/08/1971       Coventry City - Derby County 02:02 F.Nicholson [Manchester]

25/08/1971 Newcastle United - Huddersfield Town 00:00 J.Taylor [Wolverhampton]

Les Hayes replaced Dennis Pugh (Chester) who was taken ill

Thanks for clearing that up

i found a few other refs as well

04/12/1971 Everton FC - Stoke City 00:00 M.Sinclair
27/11/1971 Huddersfield Town - Derby County 02:01 G.Hill
11/12/1971 Huddersfield Town - Crystal Palace 00:01 L.Hayes[D.Pugh]
08/01/1972 Southampton FC - Derby County 01:02 A.Oliver
29/01/1972 Leicester City - Stoke City 02:01 G.Kew

24/08/1971       Coventry City - Derby County 02:02 J.Taylor [Wolverhampton]

25/08/1971 Newcastle United - Huddersfield Town 00:00 F.Nicholson[Manchester]
other way round LF, i found them both by accident, Nicholson was only mentioned in pre match build up in the day before newspapers, while Taylor was only mentioned as a footnote because he received a bouquet of flowers before kick off.

sorry, yesyou are correct Taylor did the Coventry game and Nicholson the Newcastle game, sorry for the misunderstanding