Gary Willard
| Full name | Gareth S Willard | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
3 September 1959 Worthing, Sussex, England | ||
| Other occupation | Inland Revenue officer | ||
| Domestic | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 1990-1994 | Football League | Referee | |
| 1994-2000 | Premier League | Referee | |
| International | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 1996-1999 | FIFA listed | Referee | |
Gareth S. Willard (born 3 September 1959[1]) is an English former football referee. He officiated in the Football League and the Premier League, and for FIFA. He comes from Worthing in Sussex.[2] He has continued to maintain an involvement in top-class football since retiring in 2000.[2][3] His other occupation was as an officer for the Inland Revenue.[4]
Career
Willard became a referee for the Football League in 1990, and was promoted to the Premier League list of referees in 1994. He became a FIFA referee in 1996.
On 27 January 1998, he was referee for the Football League Cup semi-final first leg between Liverpool and Middlesbrough, which was a 2-1 home win.[5] He also controlled the semi-final second leg the following year in the same competition, when Spurs won 1-0 at Wimbledon on 16 February 1999, for an aggregate win by that score.[6]
On 28 March 1998, Willard was involved in "astonishing scenes" at Oakwell Stadium after the end of the Barnsley versus Liverpool match in the Premier League, which finished 2-3. He had occasion to send off three players from the home side - Darren Barnard, Chris Morgan and Darren Sheridan - in the second half, causing play to be suspended for five minutes after Willard had been chased by an interloper. He had to be given a "police safety escort" off the pitch after the game.[7]
His final Premiership game was West Ham's 4-0 win over Middlesbrough at Upton Park on 16 May 1999,[8] but he continued to referee for FIFA. The English referees' chief at the time, Philip Don, stated that Willard had not taken any Premier League appointments due to "personal reasons".[9]
References
- ↑ Birthdate confirmation: zerozero.eu website.
- 1 2 Town of residence and activities after retirement: The Argus (Brighton) website.
- ↑ Fitness problems in 1999, and activities after retirement: The Argus (Brighton) website.
- ↑ Other occupation: Daily Telegraph website.
- ↑ League Cup semi-final first leg, Liverpool v. Middlesbrough, 1998: soccerbase.com website.
- ↑ League Cup semi-final second leg, Wimbledon v. Spurs, 1999: soccerbase.com website.
- ↑ Three players sent off and crowd trouble, Barnsley v. Liverpool, 1998: BBC News website.
- ↑ Last ever Premier League match, West Ham v. Middlesbrough, 1999: soccerbase.com website.
- ↑ Three yellow cards equals one red, Lausanne Sports v. Celta Vigo, UEFA Cup (also Philip Don's quote): Daily Telegraph website.
External links
- Gary Willard Referee Statistics at soccerbase.com (incomplete)
- Mark Hodkinson's view of the Barnsley match: excerpt from "Life At The Top", Mark Hodkinson, Queen Anne Press, 1998, ISBN 1-85291-602-8