Brian Hill (referee)
Encyclopedia
Brian Hill) is an English
former football
referee in the English Football League
, Premier League and at FIFA
level. For most of his career, he was based in Northamptonshire
, initially Wellingborough
, then Kettering
, finally moving to the Leicestershire
town of Market Harborough
. Outside football he worked as an accountant
.
He established himself over the next few years with frequent matches at the top level. In 1985 he was elevated to the FIFA
Panel while still in his late thirties. The following season saw his most prominent match to date as Everton
defeated Sheffield Wednesday
in an FA Cup
semi-final.
In 1988 came his greatest honour as he took charge of the FA Cup Final
between Wimbledon
and Liverpool
. Liverpool were expected to win easily and achieve the double but instead Wimbledon pulled off an upset in a memorable Final. They won 1-0 and Dave Beasant
saved a John Aldridge
penalty
that would have brought Liverpool back to parity. This was the first time that a penalty had not been converted in an FA Cup Final
at Wembley.†
Over the next few seasons Hill refereed many matches in the top division. He was chosen for the new Premier League and indeed handled a match on its very first day as Sheffield United
beat Manchester United
(the eventual champions) 2-1. However, this season was not without its problems. He did not receive any appointments in the Premier League in the opening months of the 1993-94
campaign - unusual for such an experienced official, who was still on the FIFA List.
He served at international level until the end of 1994. FIFA had reduced its retirement age to forty five but there was a period of grace before the 1994 World Cup
, in which older officials could be retained, and the FA gave him one extra year.
His departure from the FIFA List coincided with a resurgence in his domestic career. On January 3, 1994 he took charge of the Coventry City
versus Swindon Town
Premier League match, and thereafter was a regular again at this level. On March 19 he handled Swindon again, this time in a home draw with champions Manchester United which saw Eric Cantona
sent off. In 1994-95
the Premier List was reduced considerably, but he retained his place, and all his subsequent League games were in the Premier League.
In 1995 the Leagues decided to end the practice of granting age extensions to those reaching forty-eight, and he therefore ended his career at the standard age. His last match was the 3-3 draw between Everton and Chelsea
at Goodison Park
on May 3, 1995.
Print
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
former football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
referee in the English Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
, Premier League and at FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
level. For most of his career, he was based in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, initially Wellingborough
Wellingborough
Wellingborough is a market town and borough in Northamptonshire, England, situated some from the county town of Northampton. The town is situated on the north side of the River Nene, most of the older town is sited on the flanks of the hills above the river's current flood plain...
, then Kettering
Kettering
Kettering is a market town in the Borough of Kettering, Northamptonshire, England. It is situated about from London. Kettering is mainly situated on the west side of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene which meets at Wellingborough...
, finally moving to the Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
town of Market Harborough
Market Harborough
Market Harborough is a market town within the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England.It has a population of 20,785 and is the administrative headquarters of Harborough District Council. It sits on the Northamptonshire-Leicestershire border...
. Outside football he worked as an accountant
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
.
Career
He became a Football League linesman in 1975 and two years later joined the Supplementary List of referees, in its last year of operation. He successfully progressed to the full Referees List for the following season at the age of thirty one.He established himself over the next few years with frequent matches at the top level. In 1985 he was elevated to the FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
Panel while still in his late thirties. The following season saw his most prominent match to date as Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
defeated Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
in an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
semi-final.
In 1988 came his greatest honour as he took charge of the FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final 1988
The 1988 FA Cup Final took place on 14 May 1988 at Wembley Stadium. It was contested between Wimbledon, unfashionable and unfancied, and Liverpool, one of the dominant teams of the 1980s and newly-crowned league champions....
between Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
and Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
. Liverpool were expected to win easily and achieve the double but instead Wimbledon pulled off an upset in a memorable Final. They won 1-0 and Dave Beasant
Dave Beasant
David John "Dave" Beasant, is a retired English football goalkeeper who began his career in the late 1970s. A well-travelled player, Beasant's former clubs include Wimbledon, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion and Wigan...
saved a John Aldridge
John Aldridge
John William Aldridge is a former Republic of Ireland international footballer and football manager...
penalty
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
that would have brought Liverpool back to parity. This was the first time that a penalty had not been converted in an FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
at Wembley.†
Over the next few seasons Hill refereed many matches in the top division. He was chosen for the new Premier League and indeed handled a match on its very first day as Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
beat Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
(the eventual champions) 2-1. However, this season was not without its problems. He did not receive any appointments in the Premier League in the opening months of the 1993-94
1993-94 in English football
The 1993-1994 season was the 114th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:From the start of this season, the FA Premier League would be sponsored by Carling Breweries - an association which would last for eight years...
campaign - unusual for such an experienced official, who was still on the FIFA List.
He served at international level until the end of 1994. FIFA had reduced its retirement age to forty five but there was a period of grace before the 1994 World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
, in which older officials could be retained, and the FA gave him one extra year.
His departure from the FIFA List coincided with a resurgence in his domestic career. On January 3, 1994 he took charge of the Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
versus Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
Premier League match, and thereafter was a regular again at this level. On March 19 he handled Swindon again, this time in a home draw with champions Manchester United which saw Eric Cantona
Eric Cantona
Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona is a French actor and former French international footballer. He played for Auxerre, Martigues, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nîmes and Leeds United before ending his professional footballing career at Manchester United, where he won four Premier League titles in...
sent off. In 1994-95
1994-95 in English football
-Premiership:Blackburn Rovers ended their 81-year wait for the league title thanks to the strike partnership of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton which scored a total of more than 50 league goals. Manchester United would have made it three league titles in a row if they had been able to turn a 1-1 draw...
the Premier List was reduced considerably, but he retained his place, and all his subsequent League games were in the Premier League.
In 1995 the Leagues decided to end the practice of granting age extensions to those reaching forty-eight, and he therefore ended his career at the standard age. His last match was the 3-3 draw between Everton and Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
on May 3, 1995.
- Football League Handbooks, 1975–1977
- Rothmans Football Yearbooks, 1978-1995 (†1988 edition, p29)
- Gilbert Upton (2005) Football League and Premiership Referees 1888 to 2005, Soccerdata
External links
- Brian Hill Referee Statistics at soccerbase.com (1992-93 only)