A LONG-SERVING referee from Barnsley who was in charge of the 1977 FA Cup semi-final has died.
George Martin, of East View, Jump, started work as a miner at Elsecar pit before his illustrious career saw him move up the ranks from the local leagues to securing employment with the Football League in the professional game.
He died of cancer, aged 83, on May 30 and his funeral at Jump Wesleyan Reform chapel, on Church Street, is on June 18 from 2.30pm.
He was married to Mary, who died around a decade ago, and leaves behind three children - Tony, Jane and Julie.
Tony, 48, said: “He was a very well-known man and was known as the ‘Jump Referee’. I remember seeing him on Match of the Day when I was young looking at Graeme Souness’s studs.”
George, who also had stints as a scout for Barnsley Football Club and Sheffield Wednesday, did a lot of work with youth teams across Barnsley.
“Football really was his life - he wasn’t bothered about pay or anything like that, he just loved the game,” Tony said. “Games get called off all the time these days but you could guarantee that they would go ahead when my dad was refereeing.
“He’d drive his VW Beetle up to Workington and have players brushing the snow away just so the match could go ahead.”
n George’s cremation will be held at Barnsley crematorium after the chapel service at 3.30pm, while an invitation to Jump club to celebrate his life has been extended to anyone who knew him.
