England's 1966 success cost Jim a World Cup final place.

PEOPLE from the world of football and beyond have been saddened by the death of former top referee, Jim Finney.

Finney, who died at Hereford County Hospital on Tuesday, aged 83, was the best-known referee of his generation.

Some people have described the Hereford man as the greatest English referee of all time.

If fate hadn't played its part, Finney would have taken charge of two of the most prestigious footballing occasions ever - the 1966 World Cup final and the 1971 European Cup final.

Former Hereford United manager Colin Addison paid a glowing tribute to Finney.

He said: "It is a pity that there are no Jim Finney's around in the world of refereeing today. He stood no nonsense and always had a good sense of humour. Jim refereed with common sense and was a very well respected referee on the international stage."

Addison, who knew Finney well and would take him out golfing, added: "Jim knew a lot of people. He remained well informed on local football and is a person who will be sorely missed by all those who knew him."

The 1966 World Cup in England marked the pinnacle of Finney's career which took in hundreds of league matches, more than 50 international ties and an FA Cup final in 1962 between Tottenham and Burnley.

Jim took control of a hot-tempered quarter-final between West Germany and Uruguay at Hillsborough.

Finney sent off two Uruguayans and was involved in an altercation in the tunnel when a Uruguayan player kicked him up the backside.

The offending player, Julio Cortes, was later banned from international football for a year - the longest suspension the professional game had seen at the time.

It is common knowledge that, had England not made the World Cup final, Finney would have had the honour of officiating the match.

"At the end of the day it was a victory for the nation and my personal prestige, quite rightly, took a back seat," he later said.

Finney watched the 1966 World Cup final, with his late wife Betty, from seats positioned just in front of the Royal Box at Wembley.

He was appointed as a linesman in the first European Nations Cup final in Paris in 1960 and, famously, in May 1963, refereed a friendly between Scotland and a bad-tempered Austrian side at Hampden Park which he abandoned after 79 minutes.

Scotland, at the time, led 4-1 in front of more than 94,000 fans and Finney said afterwards he thought somebody would have been seriously hurt' had he allowed the match to continue.

Sadly, in April 1971, Finney was driving to Preston with Betty and their three children when a car pulled out of a junction in Dorrington causing a crash that would end his glittering refereeing career.

Initially, Finney was more concerned about his wife who had been thrown through the windscreen of the car, but he developed pains in his stomach and shoulders.

It turned out that the car's steering column had rammed into his stomach causing serious internal injuries.

In a sad twist of fate, that morning, Finney had received a letter to say he was selected to referee the 1971 European Cup final between Ajax and Panathinaikos at Wembley. The letter was still in his pocket when the crash took place. The injuries forced him to quit refereeing.

Finney had met Betty at the Kerry Arms in Hereford in 1949 where he was attending a football meeting.

They married at St Edward's Church in Knighton, Betty's family home, in 1951.

Finney, at the time they met, was a civil servant working with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Foods but, with Betty's experience behind the bar, the couple decided on the licensed trade.

Their first pub was the Golden Cross at Sutton before Finney became licensee of the Anglers Inn in Union Street and then the Gamecock in Holme Lacy Road. Their longest stay was at the Tabard in Commercial Street.

Jim later became a representative for a brewery company and assistant secretary at Hereford United and secretary at Cardiff City.

Football stars arrived in Hereford in August 2001 for the blessing of the couple's long-lasting marriage at Holy Trinity Church followed by an extra time' party.

Jack Charlton, Tommy Naylor, Eric Redrobe, Joe Wade, Bobby Gould and Addison were among guests at the Golden Wedding celebrations.

Betty died in August 2005, at the age of 82, after 53 years of marriage.

Finney maintained his interest in the Herefordshire football scene and was an active and hard-working Freemason for the Hereford Cantilupe lodge for more than 40 years, including the role of master and treasurer.

He died after a short illness and the funeral service for family and friends will be taking place next Thursday at 1pm at Holy Trinity Church in Whitecross Road, Hereford.

The service will be followed by a reception at the Masonic Hall in Kyrle Street, Hereford.

Finney is survived by his grown-up children, Alan, Jane, and Robert; and four grandchildren.