DESSIE LOUGHREY

Once he was the player Coleraine fans loved to hate...the star player for derby rivals Ballymena United. Then he saw the light and joined the Bannsiders, enjoying a two-year spell at the Showgrounds and becoming a firm fans' favourite in the process. Dessie Loughrey, now spending his Saturday afternoons as the man in black, speaks to CFCweb...

CFCweb: What made you make the switch from playing to refereeing...did you always want to give it a go after retiring?

DL: I was a qualified referee even when I was a player. I used to do junior games when the season ended so I always had it in my blood.

Dessie, as a player you always seemed to play with a smile on your face...do you enjoy refereeing as much?

If you look at me on a Saturday I ref with a smile on my face as well. I really enjoy the game but nothing beats putting the ball in the back of the net.

Do you feel having played the game at IL level, that experience helps you now as a ref? Do players give you more respect as a result?

Yes I think it has helped in my rapid rise through the ranks as a referee. I find I get a lot of respect from players because of the level I played at. However, I have found, in certain situations, I am still thinking like a player and not as a referee. So certain assessors have told me anyway!

Opposition fans always used to give you a fair amount of stick as a player...how did that affect you then? Does it compare to the inevitable stick you now get as a referee...usually from BOTH sets of fans?

Nothing gave me more pleasure than the opposition fans giving me stick, because if the fans were abusing you it meant they were worried about you. However now the stick means more...it’s a different type of pressure and its there to intimidate and influence your decisions on the field of play.

You took charge of the recent Institute v Coleraine game (your first time for a CFC Irish League game)...was it strange officiating over players you used to play with? How did you feel the game went? All CFC fans thought Coleraine should have had a penalty for a push on Gaston late on...how did you see the incident?

No, but I was a bit nervous at the start of the game. I felt I had refereed the game well enough and I allowed the game to flow. As for the penalty, both sets of players had their eyes on the ball when it was in the air and there was an accidental coming together. I was very close to play as usual, so for me 100% no penalty. After the game Marty told me he thought I had got the decision right.

As a Limavady man, who played for both Ballymena and Coleraine, which results do you look first for on a Saturday?

To be totally honest I spent 12 years at Ballymena and 2 at Coleraine and I can say with hand on heart I love to see both teams do well and it would be a dream to be allowed to ref the derby some Boxing Day . I also would like to say I have total respect for both sets of fans from Ballymena and Coleraine for accepting me for what I did on the pitch and not for the club I played for in the past. Thank you.

Do you have a favourite memory in a CFC shirt?

Favourite memory...it has to be the Linfield cup match...need I say more?

How do you rate the current standard of IL football? Which current players do you rate? Who is the best player you played with/against?

The standard has slipped a bit. Best player in the IL is Glen Ferguson by a mile. Best player played with was Peter Murray at Ballymena. Best opponent layer...either Glen Dunlop (Crusaders) or Alan Dornan (Linfield).

Do you think the proposed invitational league will improve the game here?

Yes, it will improve competitiveness but not the standard. But I would have liked to have seen all the teams start with no points and a clean slate. Then the top 12 go into the new premier league and the rest go to the new first division.

Finally, any rules of the game you would change?

One rule I would to like to see changed is if a player receives treatment it should be up to the referee to decide if he has to leave the field of play. For example: a centre half fouls your best forward in the penalty area and it’s a penalty and he needs treatment. At present the striker has to leave the field of play after receiving treatment even if he is the penalty taker. I feel he should be allowed to stay on to take the penalty. After all, why penalise the attacking team twice for a foul made on them? The same should apply for fouls around the edge of the box.