Bob Matthewson

Bob Matthewson
Personal information
Full name Robert Matthewson
Date of birth 1929 or 1930
Place of birth Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Date of death 10 November 2000 (age 70)
Place of death Bolton, England
Playing position Centre half
Youth career
Byker YC
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1947–1953 Bolton Wanderers 3 (0)
1953–? Lincoln City ? (?)
Total 3 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Robert "Bob" Matthewson (born 1929 or 1930; died 10 November 2000)[1][2] was an English footballer and FIFA referee. Born in Newcastle upon Tyne,[2] Matthewson had a spell playing for the Byker Youth Club's football team before he was signed by Bolton Wanderers.[3] After six appearances for Bolton in six seasons,[2] including three appearances in the Football League,[3] Matthewson was allowed to leave the club by manager Bill Ridding.[2] He then joined Lincoln City but never played a league game for them and eventually took up refereeing back in Bolton.[2][3]

Matthewson joined the national list of referees in 1968, beginning a nine-year stint as a top-level referee that included the 1974 FA Charity Shield, in which he sent Leeds United's Billy Bremner and Liverpool's Kevin Keegan off for fighting, and culminated with Manchester United's 2–1 win over Liverpool in the 1977 FA Cup Final.[2] He was promoted to the FIFA list of referees in 1973, but only officiated two full international matches: the first was a UEFA Euro 1976 qualifying Group 8 match between Malta and Greece on 23 February 1975 and the second was a friendly between Wales and West Germany on 6 October 1976.[4][5] He also refereed the 1974–75 UEFA Cup semi-final first leg between Köln and Borussia Mönchengladbach on 8 April 1975.[6]

With his wife, Pauline, Matthewson had a daughter Karen, a stepdaughter Suzanne and three grandchildren.[2] As well as playing and refereeing football, Matthewson also worked as an engineer for de Havilland in Horwich.[2] Matthewson was portrayed in the 2009 film The Damned United by Peter Quinn, the secretary of Blackburn non-league football club Sporting Athletic.[7]

References

  1. ^ Exact date of birth unknown. Estimate extrapolated from age at death.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Top ref Bob Matthewson dies". Bolton Evening News (Newsquest Media Group). 10 November 2000. http://archive.thisislancashire.co.uk/2000/11/10/706620.html. Retrieved 17 January 2010. 
  3. ^ a b c "BOLTON WANDERERS : 1946/47 - 2008/09". Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Database. http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/bolton/bolton.htm. Retrieved 17 January 2010. 
  4. ^ "Malta 2-0 Greece". uefa.com. Union of European Football Associations. http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro2012/history/season=1976/round=194/match=3674/index.html. Retrieved 17 January 2010. 
  5. ^ "Germany - International Results - Details 1974-1979". rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. http://www.rsssf.com/tablesd/duit-intres-det1970.html. Retrieved 17 January 2010. 
  6. ^ "The UEFA Cup 1974/75 - VfL 1900 Borussia Mönchengladbach (FRG)". rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. http://www.rsssf.com/tablesd/duitec-borussiam75.html. Retrieved 17 January 2010. 
  7. ^ Watkinson, David (1 April 2009). "Blackburn 'ref' enjoys Damned good role in Brian Clough film". Lancashire Telegraph (Newsquest Media Group). http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/other/4248893.Blackburn____ref____enjoys_Damned_good_role_in_Brian_Clough_film/. Retrieved 17 January 2010.