Ray Tinkler
| Ray Tinkler | |
|---|---|
 Ray Tinkler | |
| Born | 1929 (age 96–97) |
| Education | Boston Grammar School (1940-1945) |
| Occupation | Football referee |
| Employer | E W Bowser (Company Secretary) |
Ray Tinkler was educated at Boston Grammar School (1940-1945).
Career
On leaving school Ray worked for E W Bowser and was company secretary for over forty years.
Ray was on the Football League Referees' list from 1960 to 1976. He was a linesman at Wembley for the 1962 FA Cup final between Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley and refereed the amateur cup final in 1971.
Outside the United Kingdom Ray refereed matches at Prague, Ajax in the Netherlands, Kaiserlautern, Barcelona, Milan, Genoa (Sampdoria), Florence (Fiorentina) and Rome (Lazio).
During a game between Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion at Elland Road on 17 April 1971, Tinkler allowed play to continue after a linesman had flagged for offside. The Leeds players stopped when they saw the flag and West Brom went on to score. The decision to play on caused outrage at the time. He was surrounded by Leeds players, and several Leeds fans who invaded the pitch were escorted off by police. Leeds pulled a goal back but lost the game 1–2.[1] In 2000 Tinkler was still adamant that the player was in his own half.
Tinkler's final match was a game between Oldham and West Bromwich Albion at Boundary Park on 24 April 1976 where the away team won 1–0 to clinch promotion to Division 1 (The Guardian, 26 April 1976, p14). He later became Chairman of the Football Association Referees' Committee and The Referees' Association.[2]
In 1998 he received a gold medal from the FA for fifty years' service.
In 2005, Tinkler became chairman of Lincolnshire FA having been on the committee for over 30 years.[3] He retired from the role of chairman in the summer of 2010.
The following article was published in the August 1995 issue of The Old Bostonian:
Ray Tinkler was in the Royal Artillery in 1949 when he was supposed to have been sent on an athletics course. Instead he found himself on a course for football, rugby, and hockey referees. Back at his unit he was landed with refereeing football matches on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesday, Thursdays and Saturdays.
This proved to be the start of an illustrious career as one of Europe's top referees.
His first match in civvy street was at Swineshead Bridge. Used to army discipline, Ray got extremely annoyed by the blue and fruity language shouted out by one of the spectators. He went over the offender and warned his that if he persisted he would have him removed from the ground. Came the reply "You can't. I xxxxxxx own it!"
From local clubs Ray progressed through county, Midland League, and Southern League before being promoted to the Football League list of refs in 1961.
Amongst his many treasured memories whilst at the top he recalls being in charge of his first Cup Final before a 110,000 crowd in the San Sero Stadium in Milan.
He is, as always, totally devoted to the game. He regrets the lack of personal discipline by so many in the game these days. He sees it as a sad reflection on society today. The attitude of some players and fans he finds painful.
Ray retired in 1977 as a referee and after a long spell as representative for Boston / Skegness area on the Lincs FA is now one of the senior members of the top brass of the Football Association. He is Lincolnshire representative on the FA and a member of the FA Council and Disciplinary Committee.
Ray has always been a passionate ambassador for all that is good in football and a knowledgeable advocate for the way it should develop.
External links
- Ray Tinkler - Wikipedia
- Photographs of Ray Tinkler - gettyimages
References
- ↑ Ref justice!, article recalling the 1971 Leeds v. WBA match: BBC Online website.
- ↑ National Instructors Course: TheFA.com website (archived).
- ↑ Frozen in time - TheGuardian.com website.