Star referee Albert bows out at 88, plus ...

Tributes to legendary referee Albert Eadon, who was still the man with the whistle in his 80s.

The local football community have paid their tributes to long-standing referee Albert Eadon, who passed away recently aged 88.

Eadon refereed in the Scarborough & District leagues for over 30 years and was still officiating well into his 80s.

A statement released by the Scarborough Saturday League said: “We would like to pass on our thoughts to Albert’s family, and our gratitude to a fantastic servant to the league stretching over three decades.

“He was a character that will be sadly missed throughout local leagues and not just for his commitment to football.

“Albert was a gentleman and was very proud to have been made a vice president of the league when he finished his refereeing at 84.

“There will be very few who won’t have a memory of him refereeing their games, whether they agreed with his decisions or not.

“His commitment was second-to-none no matter what the weather or the game he was officiating, Albert would be there.

“The league are looking at the prospect of having an annual referees award in his name as a mark of the respect we had for him.”

North Riding County FA referees development officer Ross Joyce was also quick to pay his tributes to a stalwart of the grassroots game.

“It’s sad to hear of Albert’s passing, he was a real servant to the Scarborough leagues,” said Joyce.

“It is a sad loss to the refereeing community.”