Very sad to hear today about the passing of former referee George Smith after an illness.

George stayed up near Crewe Toll for many years and was a mate of my old man's and I have good memories of him being a kind and friendly face growing up - his refereeing persona was a little different and he took no sh*t from anyone!

He famously refereed the 1980 Scottish Cup final that ended in a riot (not just exuberance) and was also the ref that famously sent off Torto just a few minutes into Gordon Rae's testimonial against Manchester United in 1988.

RIP George.