Adrian Forrester can claim to have been an all-round sportsman, before deciding to become a referee in the Midlands, where he used to live until moving to Charfield.

He was a regular in goal for Hednesford Town in the Dr Martens League and was also on the ground staff at Warwickshire County Cricket Club for four years, then spent a further two seasons at Leicestershire as a bowler.

"I played against the Universities but never appeared in a County Championship team," said Forrester, who now turns out for Chipping Sodbury in the Western League's Premier Division.

After being sidelined with a broken arm, he qualified as a referee in Birmingham and started officiating in that area.

He was promoted to Level Four to become a "man in the middle" in both the Hellenic and West Midlands Leagues, as well as being an assistant in the Conference.

A serious ankle injury kept him out of the game for a lengthy spell and he made his comeback at Level Five again, but is aiming for promotion in the near future.

He has since officiated in the Bristol Premier Combination and the District League on Saturdays and is on Brendan Slade's Bristol Sunday League list, having kicked off in the Wessex Sunday League when he first left the Midlands.

"I really enjoy refereeing and have been made welcome in the Bristol area, but I would like to get back to Level Four," he said.

Forrester, who is also an FA assessor, admits that he has missed the atmosphere at grounds higher up the FA scale.

"There is the build-up before the kick-off then the support from the crowd, which I looked forward to," he explained.

He also helps out in the Pro 5 leagues and in the Gloucestershire County Youth League on Sundays, if needed.

He is disappointed with the response of younger players to the FA's Respect programme and believes that society in general is to blame.

"I try to get the relationship with the captains on a man-to-man level and to find out the players names, but some teams are patronising and the hand shake is soon forgotten," added Forrester.