Phil SumblerGeoff Eltringham will take charge of the Swans fixture at Bristol City tonight as we come face to face with the referee for the first time this season.
He first up the whistle at the age of 15 and progressed through the ranks before being appointed to the National list of referees for 2009/10.
Geoff last season completed his 4th year as a SG2 referee and he aims to build both actively as a referee whilst continuing his role as a FA Core coach and Durham FA academy director.
He has refereed over 400 games in the EFL, with his first a 2-2 draw between Morecambe and Hereford.
Eltringham has the unfortunate disposition of being a Sunderland fan which was so bad that he even turned to refereeing so he could give up his season ticket at the Stadium of Light.
“It was hard,” Geoff recalled. “At the time, I was devastated. Yet only in the short term, really. It was the best decision I’ve ever made and I’ve never regretted it for one minute. I hadn’t been taking refereeing that seriously over the first few years but that had all changed.
“I was refereeing a park match and an assessor, Malcolm Langley, turned up to watch a different game. He watched a bit of my match as well and, when we got chatting afterwards, he said that maybe I should go for promotion. He set me on my way and we’ve become very good friends.”
Eltringham will be assisted by Nick Greenhalgh and Shaun Hudson whilst Matthew Donohue is the fourth official.
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