with pneumonia - a potentially fatal condition at the age of 69. Fortunately for him, he was able to fully recover. Enough, in fact, to come out of football retirement on 19 October 2003. As a spectator at the Northern Premier League match between Bishop Auckland and Prescot Cables, he watched as the match referee suffered an injury, causing one of his assistants to take his place in the middle. The replacement with the flag was deemed not up to the league standard, putting the future of the game in jeopardy. Having overheard all this, Partridge put himself forward to fulfill the assistant referee's duties as he had done many years ago, and ran the line in a 1–1 draw, at the age of 70 years and 4 months. This curiously mirrored the occasion in September 1972 when he refereed a match between Arsenal and Liverpool at Highbury. One of his linesmen tore a muscle and the flag was taken by TV expert, former player and, crucially, qualified referee Jimmy Hill.¶ Honours On 11 May 2004, Partridge attended a North Riding FA dinner, at which he was honoured for 50 years membership of the Referees' Association. He was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to football. Death He died on 31 October 2014. References Print Football League Handbooks Rothmans Football Yearbooks, 1970–1981 ‡Rothmans Football Yearbook, 1971, Queen Anne Press, p. 469 ¶Rothmans Football Yearbook, 1973, Queen Anne Press, p. 29 †Rothmans Football Yearbook, 1980, Queen Anne Press, p. 15 Oh, Ref!, by Pat Partridge & John Gibson, (Souvenir Press Ltd 1979); Internet English football referees FIFA World Cup referees FA Cup Final referees People from Billingham 1933 births 2014 deaths 1978 FIFA World Cup referees Recipients of the British Empire Medal Sportspeople from Yorkshire UEFA Euro 1980 referees People from Cockfield, County Durham Sportspeople from County Durham