Bradford referee Graeme Atkins has been chosen to officiate in the FA Cup Final at Wembley.

T&A Sports Reporter Chris Hall talks to him about his globe-trotting life in football.

THE PROSPECT of working in front of a passionate full house at Wembley holds no fear for referee's assistant Graeme Atkins.

Around 78,000 fans will be casting a critical eye over every decision made by the 40-year-old Idle official and referee Graham Poll during the FA Cup final between Aston Villa and Chelsea on May 20.

But after four seasons patrolling Premiership touchlines the Bradford Council recreation services worker will not be phased by a vociferous crowd.

"You do get a lot of stick from the fans in this job," he said.

"I was at the Sunderland-Newcastle match and that is the most hostile atmosphere I have been in. But you don't tend to pick out individual voices in the big games - you are focused on what you are doing.

"I do remember one guy at Rotherham who noticed that I had put on a little weight and asked me if I had ever seen a salad. That made me chuckle and the whole of the Rotherham bench were laughing their heads off."

After coming through a refereeing course at the age of 19, Graeme started refereeing in Sunday league matches before joining the National List of Assistant Referees ten years ago.

Now he has progressed through the Nationwide League into the top flight.

"Moving up to cover Premiership games was a huge step up for me as I was working in bigger stadiums and in front of bigger crowds," he said.

"I have been involved in 14 live televised games already this season. They are the most pressurised because you have around 16 cameras watching the action ready to question your decisions. But you can't let that alter the way you operate.

"You have to go out there and do the best job you can."

Graeme's most controversial match to date was undoubtedly the FA Cup semi-final between Manchester United and Arsenal last year in which he ruled out a Roy Keane strike with a debatable offside decision.

"Fortunately I was able to go back and officiate on the replay three days later," he said.

"That was when I really felt under pressure because the game came so soon after the first one and the press had been focusing on the decision. But the match went fine and ended with that spectacular goal from Ryan Giggs."

His already impressive curriculum vitae includes working on a high-profile Champions League battle between Barcelona and Porto, the Euro 2000 Israel-Denmark clash and this season's Charity Shield. But Graeme said the FA Cup final will be his finest hour so far.

"The Referees' Association asked me if I wanted to finish my season back at Wembley where I started it, and I said I had to sit down," he said.

" To be involved in the first cup final of the new millennium and the last one before they redevelop Wembley is very special.

"It's also unusual to have two games at Wembley in a season."

While his immediate attention will be on the final and next week's Merseyside derby, Graeme's next goal is to take on the World Cup qualifying rounds which start later this year.

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