SWINDON referee Norman Wood says Stratton Saints versus AFC Cricklade was nothing special despite it being his 1000th game as an official last Sunday.

The 73-year-old first took up officiating in 1984 after rupturing an Achilles tendon while playing football.

Before picking up the whistle, he was manager of Swindon Letterfile but soon got fed up with management and embarked on becoming a man in the middle.

Wood, who lives in West Swindon with his wife Christine, admits he was happy to finally reach the milestone.

“I’ve been looking forward to it for a couple of months because I knew that it was coming up but games were delayed,” said the referee.

“I’m quite proud of it actually.

“I’ve always played football for different teams in and around Swindon. Eventually I ruptured an Achilles tendon and stopped.

“I managed a local team for a year and got fed up that no-one was paying attention to my suggestions so took up refereeing and I haven’t looked back since.”

Amid his 33 years of refereeing, Wood has seen and heard it all.

The retiree recalled one particular bizarre incident which took place on one of the games he was at the helm for.

“During the games I have had different remarks passed over to me for different reasons. I sent one person off for saying he hoped I died - he just wasn’t in a good mood,” added Wood.

“No matter what I did he didn’t seem to agree with it. At half-time he walked off, I cautioned him and then he said it.

“I suppose there is always something going on in the background of the games.”

However, as if to prove that players and managers don’t just dish out stick to officials, to mark his landmark occasion Wood was given a bottle of wine from Stratton Saints and AFC Cricklade as the latter claimed a 1-0 win in Division Three of the Swindon Sunday League at the CS Nalgo Club.

Wood, who sees no reason to stop refereeing, was delighted to have his wife Christine at the game for just the second time in 33 years of officiating.

“It was just another game to me. The game was okay, it was a very cold day. My wife came to watch, it was nice to see her on the touchline,” he added.

“There is nothing to stop me, I’m fit, so the more games they give me the more I should be able to do.”