ABERDEEN’S Eddie Norrie has blown the final whistle on his time as a referee after 33 years.

Eddie’s last game was the under-14 Aberdeen FC Trophy final between Hazlehead and Bankhead.

After the game finished, the 82-year-old was rewarded for his loyal service to the Aberdeen Secondary Schools Football Association.

He was presented with a trophy by Brian Angus, deputy head of Cults Academy.

Eddie would have liked to keep refereeing but decided it was the right time to hang up his whistle.

He said: “I am bothered by a bit of gout and that is the only thing stopping me.

“Otherwise I’d have carried on for a while longer yet because I enjoy it.

“I don’t know what I am doing to do to replace it, as I’m not a golfer!”

Eddie, who was born in New Deer, revealed he started refereeing after starting work at Northfield Academy as a technical teacher.

He then went on to officiate amateur, welfare and secondary school games.

Eddie said: “When I went to teach at Northfield Academy I ran a team and that’s when I started refereeing.

“That’s been my main involvement since then.

“I retired from teaching 17 years ago but I still carried on refereeing.”