Guernsey referees’ officer Graham Skuse, left, with Premier League and 2004 Muratti final referee Howard Webb, who gave a talk to local officials this week. (Picture by Daniel Guerin, 0571628)

PREMIER League referee Howard Webb’s early fixtures at that exalted level were not supposed to be auspicious.

Featuring the likes of Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers, they were generally clashes in the lower half of the league. Yet Webb found himself making the news pages of the tabloids as well as featuring in the back pages after his first five games all finished 0-0.

‘The referee’s a blanker’ was The Sun’s headline. Goalless draws may sometimes be boring for the spectators, but the reality is anything but for the man in the middle.

‘Every referee knows that at 0-0 every decision is a big one – you can never relax. For that to happen was absolutely unbelievable.’