Meet the ref: Christian pleased he started his refereeing early

Meet the ref: Christian Matthews has no regrets about ending his playing career at a relatively early age to become a referee.

"I was about 30 and could have carried on but just got fed up with playing although I wanted to remain in the game," said Christian, who is also involved with man management as the community projects manager for the Probation Service.

He started on the left side of midfield for Frampton Rangers in the Bristol and District League, then spent five seasons with Cotham OB on the Downs, before deciding to take up the whistle four years ago.

He attended a "fast track" course to qualify as a referee at Filton and joined the District League list for a short time.

"You are on your own there and I felt I needed support so moved to the Downs League.

"I was glad for the help and feed back from other referees in the dressing room where I inherited the nickname of pretty boy," added Christian, who praised the camaraderie enjoyed by officials and players on the Downs.

He now enjoys a double stint with the whistle on Saturdays, starting, appropriately with his forename, in the Churches League, in the morning, before facing a five minute cycle ride from his Clifton Village home to the Downs after lunch.

Persistent performances in the middle were rewarded last season when he took charge of Sneyd Park's victory against Saints in the final of the Norman Hardy Cup, an honour of which he is justly proud.

He feels that there has been significant improvement in the behaviour on the pitch recently, which could have been helped by the introduction of the FA's Respect Programme.

"But sometimes players need a reminder and they should remember that everyone can make a mistake or a bad decision without getting abuse."