4,600 games in 54 years - meet the Black Country's longest serving referee

John Kyte has chalked up more than 4,600 games during a 54 year odyssey that has taken him from the bumpy Dixon Street playing fields in Parkfields, Wolverhampton, to the lush turf of Anfield and Old Trafford.

And despite the vast number of games under his belt there's no chance of Mr Kyte losing track of his history as the man in the middle. From day one the 71-year-old has used notebooks to keep a record of every match he has been involved in.

There's now 90 of them, with the teams, match result, venue and a review of his own performance in each match painstakingly detailed.

"It's something I started doing right from the start," said Mr Kyte, who was born and bred in Wolverhampton. "I write everything down, from the scores to the colours the teams are wearing.

"It's my way of recording everything so I can look back and see what happened in the games."

Last week the 71-year-old received a long service award from the National Referees Association to add to the coveted 50 years service award he was presented with by the FA.

And while he is happy to receive the accolades, like a true professional Mr Kyte says his focus is always on the next game.

"It is nice to get recognition," he said. "To get the award from my own association was a lovely surprise, but all I've ever done is look forward to the next match.

"I just love football. That's what keeps me going."

The father of two, grandfather of five says he may never have picked up the whistle were it not for a hefty challenge from a burly centre forward that left his playing dreams in tatters when he was just 17.

"I was a goalkeeper - and not a very good one I might add - but I dived in for a clash and that was that as far as my playing days were concerned," he said.

While that incident while playing for the Ladymoor Youth Club in Bilston put paid to his chances of success between the sticks, it wasn't long before another opportunity came his way.

Cycling down by the Dixon Street playing fields in Parkfields on a wet Saturday afternoon in August 1960, Mr Kyte was asked to step in to replace a referee that hadn't shown up.

"It was Parkfield Road Methodist versus High Street Methodists and Parkfield won 6-2," he instantly recalled, without having to refer to his notebooks.

"The following week I was asked to do a Sunday league match and I remember someone had to lend me a kit. Since then it's been weekly thing."

After cutting his teeth on the local league scene and passing the referees' course, Mr Kyte's big break came in 1975 when he was taken on as a linesman by the football league - a post he would hold for the next 12 years.

He met some big names during that period - and the one that left the most indelible impression was Old Big 'Ead himself, Brian Clough.

"Cloughie was a complete gentlemen," said Mr Kyte, recalling the numerous times he crossed paths with the former Forest and Derby boss during the 70s and 80s.

"I always used to think how well mannered his teams were. There were some big name players, internationals like Shilton and the rest.

"But when I would go and inspect their studs they would all lift their legs up without question. I can remember seeing Cloughie after a game at the City ground and he held the door open for me. His teams always showed the officials a lot of respect.

"He was a real football man and loved talking about the game. Being able to share his company and talk to him was a real highlight for me."

Mr Kyte has also shared the pitch with some of the country's top referees, including Peter Willis and wild Welshman Clive Thomas. "Clive was known as a controversial figure, but every game I was involved in with him always went smoothly," he recalled.

"He was a good guy. He just liked to rock the boat."

Mr Kyte says he has not yet officiated at a game on the hallowed turf at Wembley, but counts a League Cup semi-final derby clash between Tottenham and Arsenal as one of his biggest matches.

He also made one memorable trip to Europe, joining up with referee Keith Hackett for a volatile European Cup Winners Cup encounter between AEK Athens - then managed by former Wolves boss John Barnwell - and Hungarians Ujpešt Doža.

"The Greeks won 2-0 so I think that kept the home fans calm," chuckled Mr Kyte. "They started throwing cushions on the pitch at one point but that was at the players, so we were ok."

But even during his stint in the big leagues Mr Kyte always remained true to his roots.

Wherever he was stationed on Saturday, be it White Heart Lane, Goodison Park or The Hawthorns, he would usually be back on home turf the following morning for refereeing duties in the Bloxwich Combination or Wolverhampton Sunday leagues.

One of his notebooks shows he ran the line at an FA Cup 3rd round tie between Coventry City and Bolton Wanderers in January 1987, then refereed Penn Old Boys versus Wolverhampton Retail Markets at Windsor Avenue less than 24 hours later.

He said: "In some ways working at the big grounds was a lot easier. When you have a large crowd there's so much noise you don't really hear that much criticism. It's different when you've got one man and his dog on the touchline.

"I could be doing a first division game in front of 40,000 people on Saturday and be at Fowlers Park, Bantock Park or Windsor Park the next day. It has never mattered to me how big the game is, I just love being involved."

Mr Kyte, who fitted a career as a lorry driver around his officiating duties, said he has never supported any team in particular, although he has fond memories of watching Wolves beat Honved and Spartak Moscow during the club's 1950s golden era.

These days on the rare occasions he doesn't have a game, he can usually be found at the War Memorial Athletic Ground watching Stourbridge play.

But it is the being the man with the whistle that really makes him tick.

According to Phil Reade, the man in charge of appointing match officials for the Wolverhampton and District Sunday League, Mr Kyte is still one of the most respected officials out there.

The 48-year-old from Wednesfield said: "He is a very easy going character and everyone speaks highly of him. Don't get me wrong, if a player steps out of line he will send them off, but he's a man manager, known for giving players a chance.

"It is important for us to commemorate the milestones of our members. John's efforts – that still continue to this day, remember – are extraordinary. I don't think anyone from our league has been involved in more games than him."

Despite his longevity, Mr Kyte is showing no signs of slowing down. He still referees two games every weekend, always on hand to marshal the likes of the Brewood Old Boys and Rocket Pool FC. He said he keeps his fitness up to peak levels by 'doing as much walking as I can'.

"Football has been my life," he added. "I just love getting out there and meeting people, going to the different grounds. I always think if I had been able to keep on playing I would have been finished a long, long time ago.

"But I'm still here. As long as the legs keep going I'll always be available for matches."