Referee nearly missed call for FA Cup final

Nick Hopton has been a full-time Premier League official since 2018

A Derbyshire assistant referee says he nearly missed the call from the FA telling him he had been appointed to this weekend's FA Cup final.

Nick Hopton, 41, said the call for the clash under the Wembley arch was made while he was "out in his garden on his veg patch".

Mr Hopton will officiate his first FA Cup final when Manchester United face rivals, Manchester City on Saturday.

The 41-year-old said: "I will have to remind myself to look around and take it all in."

Nick Hopton will be the assistant referee in Saturday's FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium

On nearly missing the call from the FA, Mr Hopton told BBC Radio Derby he did not realise his phone was on silent while he was digging away in his garden.

"I got my phone out of my pocket, and I saw that I had a missed call, a voicemail, and around 30 messages telling me to answer my phone", said Mr Hopton.

"When I phoned the FA back, I was delighted and tried not to swear in enjoyment."

The official, from Ripley, said he wants to enjoy the game as much as he can, because referees are only allowed to officiate the FA Cup final once.

"I don’t get nervous really, I've done other games at Wembley, and I see it as a great opportunity. You have to remind yourself to look around and take it all in.

"It’s the only chance you get to do the FA Cup final, so you want to remember as much as you can in the moment."

'Humble beginnings'

Mr Hopton has been a full-time linesman in the Premier League since 2018 and began his journey refereeing around Derbyshire, doing 125 games a season.

"When I started out, my thought process was that I wanted to get bags of experience as quick as possible", said Mr Hopton.

"It’s a hard slog, if I'm honest with you, every referee in this country started from that level; it's hard work.

"I actually quit refereeing at one point because of my personal life as well as being on the pitch. I just said I’m not doing it anymore, and I had a break of around nine to 10 months out.

From his humble beginnings around pitches in Derbyshire, Mr Hopton said he is "excited" to be given the chance to step out onto one of the biggest stages in football - the FA Cup final.

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