Eddie Wolstenholme
Encyclopedia
Edward K. Wolstenholme (born c. 1954, Preston, Lancashire) is an English former football
referee who officiated in the Football League
and the Premier League. He now lives in Blackburn, Lancashire
, and may be remembered as the referee in charge of a football match in 2002 described as the "Battle of Bramall Lane
". His other occupation before becoming a professional for PGMOL in 2001 was as an engineering
fitter
.
, known as Walton-le-Dale F.C. at the time). After starting off in Sunday leagues, he then officiated in the West Lancashire Football League
, eventually moving up to the North West Counties League
, and in season 1992–93
the Football League
list, after having gained experience as a League linesman. His first match after being promoted was the 4–2 win by Crewe
over Torquay
in the old Second Division
on 15 August 1992.
At the close of the 1997–98 season
, he was selected not only to referee the old First Division
play-off semi-final second leg, but the Final
itself. The semi-final second leg occurred on 13 May 1998, between Charlton Athletic
and Ipswich Town
at The Valley, and Charlton progressed by winning this 1–0 for a 2–0 aggregate score. The Final took place at Wembley on 25 May 1998, and Charlton's opponents were Sunderland
. The score being 3–3 at the end of 90 minutes, extra time was played, and a further one goal each was converted during that period. This meant that a penalty shoot-out
was necessary, and Charlton gained a 7–6 "sudden death" triumph to secure their place in the Premier League for the 1998–99 season
.
The end of the 2000–01
season was very busy for Wolstenholme. He was first appointed to oversee the FA Vase
Final on 6 May 2001 at Villa Park, Birmingham
, played between Berkhamsted Town
and Taunton Town
, when the Somerset
side won 2–1. Then, on 13 May 2001, he took charge of the League Two
play-off semi-final first leg between Hull City
and Leyton Orient
, which finished 1–0.
The following day, he controlled the 4–2 home win by Walsall
over Stoke
in a League One
play-off semi-final second leg, which was also the cumulative score that secured Walsall's progression. Lastly, he was given the honour of refereeing the League One play-off final as well, played at the Millennium Stadium
, Cardiff
, on 27 May 2001, when Walsall won promotion to the Championship
by beating Reading
by 3 goals to 2.
He was offered full professional terms by the Professional Game Match Officials Board
during the following close season in 2001, and agreed to join the Select Group of referees (officiating in the Premier League), although this would only be for a maximum of two seasons before his retirement due to age restrictions. He took charge of his first ever Premier League match during the fixture involving Ipswich Town and Derby County
at Portman Road
on 21 August 2001, the home club winning 3–1.
In 2002, Wolstenholme was involved in a match full of controversy, which did not last the 90 minutes, but which remains in the records. Sheffield United
played West Bromwich Albion
at their home ground, Bramall Lane
, in the old Football League First Division
on 16 March 2002. He dismissed three players during the course of the game, all from Sheffield United. First to go was the goalkeeper, Simon Tracey
, after 9 minutes for a handball outside the penalty area (an incident totally unrelated to the chaos that would ensue in the second half). Then, after Georges Santos
crashed into Albion's Andy Johnson
on 65 minutes, he was also sent off. A minute later, Patrick Suffo
was dismissed after a head-to-head confrontation with Derek McInnes
. When two other players then had to be withdrawn injured after 77 minutes (coincidentally, immediately after West Brom scored their third goal), and with no replacements available, Wolstenholme had to abandon the game due to United having less than 7 players left on the field. Amongst other sanctions taken by the Football Association, Sheffield United were fined £10,000 and their manager Neil Warnock
£300. Santos (given a two-match ban) and Suffo (fined £3,000) never played for United again. The score at the time of the abandonment was 0–3, and the result was allowed to stand despite the game not being completed. The match was subsequently popularised with the title "the Battle of Bramall Lane
".
In the final minute of the Everton
versus Chelsea
match at Goodison Park
on 7 December 2002, and with the score 3–1 to the away side, he sent off David Unsworth
of Everton for "violent conduct" (using his knee) after an incident involving Chelsea's Danish
winger, Jesper Grønkjær
. After the match was over, Everton manager David Moyes
had to be dissuaded from confronting Wolstenholme in his dressing room by five police officers. The referee would only say: "Striking an opponent is a red-card offence and it doesn't matter what you strike him with. Things will have to go through the proper channels now and I'll probably look at it again." Despite this, the red card was eventually confirmed, although Everton did manage to prevent Wolstenholme from being involved during their match against Bolton
21 days later, Matt Messias
replacing him as fourth official.
On 12 February 2003, he was fourth official during the 3–1 home defeat for England
against Australia in a friendly match
at Upton Park
, London. This was the most notable appointment throughout his sparse international involvement.
After the 2–0 home win by Millwall
over Coventry
in the Football League Championship
on 5 May 2003, Wolstenholme retired from refereeing, having officiated for only two seasons in the Premiership.
. He still lives in the Pleckgate area of Blackburn, with his wife, Fiona, and they have two children, a son and a daughter.
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 who officiated in the 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...
and the Premier League. He now lives in Blackburn, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, and may be remembered as the referee in charge of a football match in 2002 described as the "Battle of Bramall Lane
Battle of Bramall Lane
The Battle of Bramall Lane is the informal name given to an English First Division football match between Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion at United's Bramall Lane ground on 16 March 2002...
". His other occupation before becoming a professional for PGMOL in 2001 was as an engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
fitter
Machinist
A machinist is a person who uses machine tools to make or modify parts, primarily metal parts, a process known as machining. This is accomplished by using machine tools to cut away excess material much as a woodcarver cuts away excess wood to produce his work. In addition to metal, the parts may...
.
Career
Wolstenholme took up refereeing in 1978, when an injury forced him to give up playing non-League football (for Bamber BridgeBamber Bridge F.C.
Bamber Bridge F.C. are an English football club based in Bamber Bridge, near Preston, Lancashire. They currently play in the Northern Premier League Division One North and are full members of the Lancashire County Football Association. They play their home games at the QED Stadium in Bamber Bridge...
, known as Walton-le-Dale F.C. at the time). After starting off in Sunday leagues, he then officiated in the West Lancashire Football League
West Lancashire Football League
The West Lancashire Football League is a football competition based in northern England, consisting of five divisions - three for first teams , and two for reserve teams...
, eventually moving up to the North West Counties League
North West Counties Football League
The North West Counties Football League is a football league in North west of England. As of 2011, the league covers Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Southern Cumbria, Northern Staffordshire, the High Peak area of Derbyshire, and the far west of West Yorkshire. In the past, the...
, and in season 1992–93
1992-93 in English football
The 1992–1993 season was the 113th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season saw the birth of the FA Premier League. This meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions....
the 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...
list, after having gained experience as a League linesman. His first match after being promoted was the 4–2 win by Crewe
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
over Torquay
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
in the old Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
on 15 August 1992.
At the close of the 1997–98 season
1997-98 in English football
The 1997-1998 season was the 118th season of competitive football in England.-Premier League:Arsenal overhauled Manchester United's lead during the final weeks of the season to win the Premiership title...
, he was selected not only to referee the old First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
play-off semi-final second leg, but the Final
Final (competition)
The final of a competition is the match or round in which the winner of the entire event is decided.In sports competitions following a knockout system, where only two individuals or teams compete in each match, the final is usually played between the winners of two semi-finals...
itself. The semi-final second leg occurred on 13 May 1998, between Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
and Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
at The Valley, and Charlton progressed by winning this 1–0 for a 2–0 aggregate score. The Final took place at Wembley on 25 May 1998, and Charlton's opponents were Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
. The score being 3–3 at the end of 90 minutes, extra time was played, and a further one goal each was converted during that period. This meant that a penalty shoot-out
Penalty shootout (football)
A penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
was necessary, and Charlton gained a 7–6 "sudden death" triumph to secure their place in the Premier League for the 1998–99 season
1998-99 in English football
-Premier League:Manchester United overcame close competition from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea to win their fifth Premiership title in seven seasons thanks to the comeback of Roy Keane after his long-term injury and a transfer raid totalling nearly £30 million which netted Aston Villa striker...
.
The end of the 2000–01
2000-01 in English football
The 2000–01 season was the 121st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Manchester United secured their 3rd Premiership title in succession and their 7th title in just nine seasons...
season was very busy for Wolstenholme. He was first appointed to oversee the FA Vase
FA Vase
The Football Association Challenge Vase is an annual football competition for teams playing below Step 4 of the English National League System...
Final on 6 May 2001 at Villa Park, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, played between Berkhamsted Town
Berkhamsted Town F.C.
Berkhamsted Town F.C. was a football club from Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. The club was founded in 1919, played in a black & white strip, and was nicknamed the Lilywhites or Berko. The team began the 2008–09 season playing in the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division, but was dissolved in...
and Taunton Town
Taunton Town F.C.
Taunton Town Football Club are an English football club based in Taunton, Somerset, England. They compete in the Southern Football League Division One South & West, and play their home matches at their Wordsworth Drive ground which they moved into during the 1953 season...
, when the Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
side won 2–1. Then, on 13 May 2001, he took charge of the League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
play-off semi-final first leg between Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
and Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
, which finished 1–0.
The following day, he controlled the 4–2 home win by Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
over Stoke
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
in a League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
play-off semi-final second leg, which was also the cumulative score that secured Walsall's progression. Lastly, he was given the honour of refereeing the League One play-off final as well, played at the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
, Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, on 27 May 2001, when Walsall won promotion to the Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
by beating Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
by 3 goals to 2.
He was offered full professional terms by the Professional Game Match Officials Board
Professional Game Match Officials Board
The Professional Game Match Officials Board , and since made a Limited Liability Company , was formed when English association football referees turned professional in 2001, specifically to provide match officials for all games played in the Premier League in England...
during the following close season in 2001, and agreed to join the Select Group of referees (officiating in the Premier League), although this would only be for a maximum of two seasons before his retirement due to age restrictions. He took charge of his first ever Premier League match during the fixture involving Ipswich Town and Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
at Portman Road
Portman Road
Portman Road is an association football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C. since 1884. The stadium has also hosted a number of England youth international matches, and one senior England friendly international match, against Croatia in 2003...
on 21 August 2001, the home club winning 3–1.
In 2002, Wolstenholme was involved in a match full of controversy, which did not last the 90 minutes, but which remains in the records. 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...
played West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
at their home ground, Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane
-Cricket at the Lane:Bramall Lane opened as a cricket ground in 1855, having been leased by Michael Ellison from the Duke of Norfolk at an annual rent of £70. The site was then away from the town's industrial area, and relatively free from smoke. It was built to host the matches of local cricket...
, in the old Football League First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
on 16 March 2002. He dismissed three players during the course of the game, all from Sheffield United. First to go was the goalkeeper, Simon Tracey
Simon Tracey
Simon Peter Tracey is an English former professional football player who played as a goalkeeper. He is now goalkeeping coach at Barnsley.Playing Career=...
, after 9 minutes for a handball outside the penalty area (an incident totally unrelated to the chaos that would ensue in the second half). Then, after Georges Santos
Georges Santos
Georges "George" Santos is a former French-born Cape Verde professional footballer who played professionally between 1997 and 2009. He notably played for Tranmere Rovers, West Bromwich Albion, Sheffield United, Grimsby Town, Ipswich Town and Queens Park Rangers...
crashed into Albion's Andy Johnson
Andy Johnson (Welsh footballer)
Andrew James "Andy" Johnson is an English born Welsh international football midfielder who last played for King's Lynn.-Career:He began his career at Norwich City, before joining Nottingham Forest in 1997 for £2.2m...
on 65 minutes, he was also sent off. A minute later, Patrick Suffo
Patrick Suffo
Patrick Suffo Kengné is a footballer who is currently signed to Bedworth Liberal FC.- Club career :...
was dismissed after a head-to-head confrontation with Derek McInnes
Derek McInnes
Derek John McInnes is a former Scottish football player and current manager of Bristol City. McInnes featured prominently for Greenock Morton, Rangers, West Bromwich Albion and Dundee United during his playing career. He won two caps for the Scotland national football team while with West...
. When two other players then had to be withdrawn injured after 77 minutes (coincidentally, immediately after West Brom scored their third goal), and with no replacements available, Wolstenholme had to abandon the game due to United having less than 7 players left on the field. Amongst other sanctions taken by the Football Association, Sheffield United were fined £10,000 and their manager Neil Warnock
Neil Warnock
Neil Warnock is an English former footballer who is currently manager of English Premier League club Queens Park Rangers....
£300. Santos (given a two-match ban) and Suffo (fined £3,000) never played for United again. The score at the time of the abandonment was 0–3, and the result was allowed to stand despite the game not being completed. The match was subsequently popularised with the title "the Battle of Bramall Lane
Battle of Bramall Lane
The Battle of Bramall Lane is the informal name given to an English First Division football match between Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion at United's Bramall Lane ground on 16 March 2002...
".
In the final minute of the 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...
versus 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...
match 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 7 December 2002, and with the score 3–1 to the away side, he sent off David Unsworth
David Unsworth
David Gerald Unsworth is an English former footballer who played in the position of centre-back or left-back, and is currently first team coach at Preston North End....
of Everton for "violent conduct" (using his knee) after an incident involving Chelsea's Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
winger, Jesper Grønkjær
Jesper Grønkjær
Jesper Grønkjær is a former Danish professional football player. A pacey winger, he was able to play on the right or left wing and as a second striker. Grønkjær played a total 400 league games for a number of European clubs, most notably winning the 1999 Dutch Cup with Ajax Amsterdam and playing...
. After the match was over, Everton manager David Moyes
David Moyes
David William Moyes is an association football manager and former player, currently managing English Premier League club Everton. He was the 2003, 2005 and 2009 League Managers Association Manager of the Year...
had to be dissuaded from confronting Wolstenholme in his dressing room by five police officers. The referee would only say: "Striking an opponent is a red-card offence and it doesn't matter what you strike him with. Things will have to go through the proper channels now and I'll probably look at it again." Despite this, the red card was eventually confirmed, although Everton did manage to prevent Wolstenholme from being involved during their match against Bolton
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
21 days later, Matt Messias
Matt Messias
Matthew David Messias is an English former football referee, who operated in the Football League, the Premier League, and also for UEFA and FIFA. He was first based in York during his time as an official, subsequently moving to Barnsley, also in the county of Yorkshire...
replacing him as fourth official.
On 12 February 2003, he was fourth official during the 3–1 home defeat for England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
against Australia in a friendly match
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
at Upton Park
Boleyn Ground
The Boleyn Ground, more commonly referred to as Upton Park due to its location in Upton Park, London is the football stadium of West Ham United.-History:...
, London. This was the most notable appointment throughout his sparse international involvement.
After the 2–0 home win by Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
over Coventry
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...
in the Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
on 5 May 2003, Wolstenholme retired from refereeing, having officiated for only two seasons in the Premiership.
Retirement and family life
Wolstenholme carried out the trade of engineering fitter in Preston, Lancashire, before briefly becoming a full-time paid referee from 2001 until his retirement in 2003. He has since become Referees' Officer for the Lancashire County Football AssociationLancashire County Football Association
The Lancashire County Football Association, also known simply as the Lancashire FA, is the governing body of football within the historical county boundaries of Lancashire, England...
. He still lives in the Pleckgate area of Blackburn, with his wife, Fiona, and they have two children, a son and a daughter.
External links
- Eddie Wolstenholme Referee Statistics at soccerbase.com (from 1997 only)