RateTheRef

Many thanks for these updates. Phew, exactly what I was hoping for! My memory may have been good on such burning issues, but not that good it seems! I'll update the database and produce a revised version for this earlier period shortly.

I am still reasonably confident that Jim Bent refereed the Wolves v Villa game in May 1978. I recall a photo showing a referee with a beard (Jim rather than John) and there was a newspaper report linking Jim's last game in the middle with his Cup Final appearance as a linesman just four days later.

I thought Bill Clements retired after the FA Cup Final in 1965 but yes, he certainly refereed at Anfield twice the following season, and I have deleted him from the database. Ken Dagnall was another who I thought retired after an FA Cup Final appearance (1967), but the Liverpool archive website shows that he refereed Liverpool v Man Utd on 6th April 1968, although I am not sure whether this would have been his last game.

Couple more from this earlier period:

G Jones - Darlington v Hartlepool, Apr 1972 (fairly confident on this although I can't think why)
L Hayes - did we not have a photo on the old ISOR of Les refereeing his final game in May 1977, but where was it?

Thanks again, keep these updates coming and more from me shortly.

The Les Hayes game (Peterborough v Walsall, 7.5.1977) was rather curiously subject of an interesting short film (not focused on him) which was on YouTube at some point but I don't know if it's still there.

Gordon Hill's final League match was Brentford v Doncaster (12.4.1975) - a slightly early departure to allow him to leave sooner for his new job in the USA.

I can't be sure it was definitely his last match as rearranged matches sometimes occurred in that era after the last scheduled day of fixtures but Peter Walters had a remarkable match on the final day of his last season with Derby winning 6-2 at Ipswich. Footage is on YouTube. On a similar note Ron Crabb's probable final game was Watford v Southport (29.4.1978) - a match which was to prove Southport's last in the Football League as they failed to be re-elected at the end of that season (the last club to suffer that fate).