Back in 1994 Simon Hill was a commentator on BBC Hereford and Worcester.
Recently he recalled the day Hereford United went out of the FA Cup at Hitchin when a young referee called Graham Poll was in charge.
'We crossed paths when I had commentated an
English FA Cup 1st Round replay between Hitchin Town and Hereford
United. Poll - then a young, up and comer - was in charge, and Hitchin
created a big upset by knocking out Hereford, who were then a league
outfit.
Poll however, had caused a stir when he blew his
whistle prematurely for full time - on the back of a pitch invasion
after Hitchin had scored to make it 4-2. Hereford, understandably,
weren't happy, especially as Poll had been born in Hitchin. They
complained so loudly that their CEO, Robin Fry, got hit with a
misconduct charge.
Fry had to appear before an FA Enquiry at
Lancaster Gate the following week - and he asked me to travel to London
give evidence on his behalf, as we had made mention of the early finish
during our commentary on BBC Hereford & Worcester.
My words didn't do Fry much good, as he got hit
with a fine. Poll meantime, escaped without sanction, and made a
light-hearted comment to me on the way out about "remembering my name"
in future.'