A Guernsey referee commended by The FA for 40 years of service to football said he has "enjoyed every minute of it."

Tony Sarre, 69, marked his 1,229th official game in the Jeremie Cup quarter final clash between Vale Rec and St Paul's in the knockout tournament.

Sarre has kept records of every game he has officiated since 1986 but believed the principal of earning the players' respect has stayed the same.

He said: "Your performances..., your communication with the players and the coaches and holding up your hand if you do make an error and trying to make sure it doesn't happen next game."

Across Sarre's career he has officiated in FA Cup and Vase matches but said his fondest memory was when Guernsey played Everton in a pre-season friendly in 1997 with players like Neville Southall and Duncan Ferguson on the pitch.

Ferguson, a player known for his fiery temperament, received eight red cards in his career, no player having received more in the Premier League.

"There was actually a couple of compliments from him (Ferguson), saying that I was right with this or wrong with this, but it was good. There's a good bit of banter."

'We can always learn'

Sarre now helps the next generation of young referees coming through the ranks and thinks they have more opportunities to progress their careers than when he started: "I think if they're keen enough, the opportunity is there to actually move up the ladder quite quickly"

Guernsey has seen players such as Alex Scott and Maya La Tissier play at the top level and would like to see the same for referees from the island.

He said: "We've got some good sportsmen that have actually performed at the highest level so why couldn't a referee do it?"

After 1,000 games Sarre is not planning to step away from the game.

"I hope the legs will keep me going a little bit longer and I can actually give some support to the younger referees because we can always learn no matter who you are and how good you think you are." he said.