Winter to ref Cup Final
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Richie Winter has been appointed to referee Saturday’s eircom League of Ireland Cup Final between Wexford Youths and Derry City.
The Dublin-born 38-year-old will be assisted by Allen Lynch and Reuben McManus, with Hugo Whoriskey acting as Fourth Official.
Winter, who joined the eircom League of Ireland panel in 2003, says that he is delighted to have been handed his first cup final at this level.
“It’s a big honour to be picked for a cup final, especially given that I am only on the panel since half-way through 2003”, he said. “Being given a cup final is definitely a sort of a reward for having a good season. It shows that they have faith in me.”
Winter has been refereeing at Premier Division level since the start of the 2007 season. During this time, he has refereed matches involving Derry City on numerous occasions, while a pre-season friendly between Wexford Youths and Shamrock Rovers saw him come into contact with Mick Wallace’s side.
Having seen both teams up close, Winter knows that Saturday’s match will be competitive, especially given the prize up for grabs.
“I’m expecting a very competitive match and I think it will be a physical encounter, but I’m hoping that it will be a good game”, he says.
