THE Northern Counties East League is mourning the death of Harold Hackney, the president of their Match Officials association, at the age of 91.
Harold began refereeing by chance in 1949 and was promoted to the Football League list of referees 10 years later.
He refereed the FA Trophy final and a League Cup semi-final in 1973 as well as an Anglo-Italian Cup quarter- final the following season.
His final League game before retirement came in 1977 when Mansfield Town beat Wrexham to clinch promotion to Division Two.
Afterwards, Harold, who worked for the Coop and National Coal Board, became an...