Edward Paper  (1941 – 28th January 2018)

Following a short illness Ed (Eddie) passed away at the Great Western Hospital on 28th January 2018, aged 77 years. Beloved husband of Daphne, much loved dad to Stephen, David and Nicola

A minute’s silence was observed across the town’s football matches on Saturday for Eddie, who was a stalwart of the local game.

Having played for many years in the local leagues, Eddie retired from playing in 1981 when he qualified as a referee and then spent the next 33 years officiating county, local and youth matches most weekends.

Eddie, who was born in Reading in 1940, took up refereeing in the early 1980’s and quickly became one of the most popular officials in Swindon.

One of the highlights of Eddie’s refereeing career was when he was appointed as a fourth official at a Swindon Town match along with officiating the local youth league cup finals.

The tributes have poured in for Eddie, who retired from refereeing in 2014.

A football pitch will never be the same without you, a yellow card or even a Red, R.I.P., the final whistle has been blown.

Eddie was a true gentleman both on and off the football pitch, he was a credit to the game of football and was respected by all players of all ages, RIP Eddie