Ron Challis

Ronald Challis (born 1932, died January 2001) was an English football referee in the Football League. During his time on the National List he was based in Tonbridge, Kent.

Career

Challis became a Football League referee in 1968 at the age of only thirty five. In 1975 he was senior linesman to Pat Partridge for the FA Cup Final.^‡ He took charge of the Final itself in 1979. This match between Arsenal and Manchester United is remembered for three goals being scored in the last four minutes: Arsenal had appeared to be easing to a 2-0 win before United scored twice to level the score; however Arsenal then scored a third through Alan Sunderland to win 3-2.^[1]

He had two more years as a League referee before retiring in 1981.

References

Print

• Football League Handbooks, 1968–1970
• Rothmans Football Yearbooks, 1971–1981
• ^†Rothmans Football Yearbook (2001), Headline, p944 (approximate birthyear and month/year of death)
• ^‡Oh, Ref!, by Pat Partridge & John Gibson, (Souvenir Press Ltd 1979), ISBN 0-285-62423-7

Internet

1. 1979 FA Cup Final report and memories: BBC.co.uk website.