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Dave Bryan was one of the best assistant referees I worked with, but he had his own ‘66 moment on 3 January 2004, when he signalled for a goal by Watford’s Heidar Helguson against Chelsea. The ball hit the bar and bounced down on—or, according to Dave, over—the line.

He had his language difficulties when he was on foreign trips. On one occasion, at a match in Macedonia, the assessor was German and the officials were English. They included Dave, plus Mike Dean and Steve Dunn, who are big mates of mine. One of them asked the assessor his profession. He said, ‘I am ein doctair. I work with children. I am a paedi…paedi…’

As he struggled for the English word paediatrician, Dave tried to help out. ‘Paedophile?’ he offered, unthinkingly. Steve and Mike fell off their chairs laughing.