Ex-Wishaw Press man now top ref

May 27 2009 by Andrew Weston, Wishaw Press

A FORMER Wishaw Press reporter could be set to take charge of Motherwell’s SPL games next season after being promoted to the senior refereeing ranks at the age of just 27.

John Beaton will be the man in the middle of this weekend’s Junior Scottish Cup final between Auchinleck Talbot and Clydebank at Rugby Park.

But the Jerviston whistler will blow time on junior football on Sunday after receiving the news from the SFA that he will be a Category One referee from next season.

“It is absolutely fantastic news and I’m over the moon,” Beaton told the Wishaw Press this week.

Currently working as a communication officer for Strathclyde Police, Beaton began his refereeing career at the age of 15 and has worked his way up the footballing pyramid to take his place in the elite level of the game.

He said: “I played a bit of football and knew that I really wasn’t good enough to play at a decent level.

“But my cousin was a referee and he encouraged me to give it a go.

“I initially was a ref at under-10 and 11 level but never anything above my own age.

“It took me about four years to make it to the junior ranks.”

In his first year as a senior official, Beaton will mainly take charge of matches in the Scottish Football League but will also have to bear the wrath of managers such as Mark McGhee and Walter Smith in his role as a fourth official during Premier League matches.

And if the referee gets injured during SPL games, Beaton will take to the pitch as a replacement – something that appears not to faze him.

“Refereeing at junior level can be a harsh lesson for some people.

“We all get criticism at the level we referee at.

“It will have helped prepare me but I guess it is a wee bit more high profile at senior level with the media involvement and national press covering every match.

“But I am ready for that pressure and I have been refereeing for a long time.”

This weekend’s Junior Cup final is set to be played in front of more than 5000 fans and is the most high profile game of the season at that level.

And Beaton admits to relishing the prospect of signing off in style saying: “I know how many good referees there are out there and to be selected is a fantastic honour.

“Auchinleck have got a real history in the competition, having won it so many times and Clydebank have got a fantastic history as a senior club.

“You would expect both to take a big crowd and that will add to the atmosphere.

“I’m sure it will be a great day and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Last week, SFA chief executive Gordon Smith announced that there were no plans to make Scotland’s leading officials full-time next season.

But Beaton revealed much of what referees do off the field is of a professional standard anyway, especially in terms of the stringent fitness levels that need to be adhered to.

“We pass a fitness test that is tailored specifically for referees,” he said

“You would be hard pushed to find someone coming off the street without training that could pass the test. It is pretty stringent as you would expect because you are dealing with players that are professional and training five days a week so you have to keep up with them.”

The past fortnight has seen the men in black come in for a barrage of criticism, most notably during last week’s match between Rangers and Aberdeen.

But Beaton is philosophical when discussing the damaged reputation of many of today’s top officials in Scottish football simply stating: “I feel that if you give players respect then you will get it back.”