Ian Parsons is establishing himself among the ranks of referees in Bristol, having previously officiated in top level local soccer in Scotland, while serving as a regular in the Army.

"I loved football but was not really good enough to play. I had the choice of either attending a referee's course or guard duty, then found myself controlling games," said the Hengrove-based referee, above, who also has Level I coaching qualifications.

While based in Edinburgh during his seven years in uniform, he was the man in the middle in the Scottish Conference League and the Scottish Premier Under-19s League as a Class 3 official.

He gained further experience during those early days as an assistant, mainly to referee Graham Chambers, who has since been promoted to the Scottish Premier League.

"You can learn so much from a top referee and see the game from a different view when running the line."

After leaving the Army, he joined the Bristol and District League list and now also officiates in the Somerset County, Wessex Sunday and Somerset Floodlit League as well as in youth cup ties then, more recently, in Keynsham Ladies games.

He is hoping to be promoted back to his previous level, with the Bristol Premier Combination Middle his next target, although he knows that this depends on favourable assessments of his performances with the whistle.