David Allison

David B. Allison (born 27 September 1948) is an English former football referee, who operated in the English Football League and Premier League. During his time on the List he was based in Lancaster and was by profession a teacher. Career He became a Football League linesman in 1977 and three years later achieved promotion to the referees' list at the age of thirty-one. He made steady progress in his early years but by the late 1980s was becoming a regular top division referee, often handling Lancashire derby games including those involving the big Manchester and Liverpool clubs. He became one of the first Premier League referees in 1992,† shortly after taking charge of his most senior cup appointment - a League Cup semi-final first leg between Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur. His first match in that competition was the 4–1 home win by Middlesbrough against Leeds United at Ayresome Park on 28 August. Over the next two years he handled a large number of matches in the new League. However, in 1994 the Premier League moved to a rather smaller list of officials who would handle its matches and he was not selected.