VETERAN referee Peter White has given all match officials the secret behind his amazing career - make sure you cut out the swearing!

The former Football League official recently celebrated his 74th birthday by refereeing a match at Fleming Park in Eastleigh.

That was the same venue he had begun his reffing career exactly 50 years previously!

White's remarkable career was featured in the Daily Echo last month.

Today, the Lymington-based official - Hampshire CCC's scorer when they last won the championship in 1973 and a former Southampton Open bowls champion too - reveals that ordering players to cut out the x-rated words is key to keeping control.

And White is only too happy to fully endorse the Daily Echo's Respect the Ref campaign and reveal the rituals that allow him to whistle without controversy.

"Refereeing is mainly about control. That's the most important thing, that's what I have learnt over the years," he said.

"The main thing is I do not allow swearing on the pitch.

"I go into the dressing rooms before a game - not that I'm supposed to - and tell both teams no swearing today'. Then as we go onto the pitch I tell them again.

"Then I call both captains together and tell them again. If I hear any swearing, I will take action' I tell them. The message generally seems to get through.

"I firmly believe that if you can control the mouth, you'll control the violence.

"Violence starts from the mouth.

"With any domestic violence situation, you'll get things started with arguments and shouting and it will become physical from there.

"It's the same on a football field.

"If you let players get away with calling each other names then it will get violent.

"I've had a lot of success that way.

"I think players appreciate it and the managers and coaches appreciate it.

"However, the other week I did a game with Boscombe Celtic and their manager came up to me afterwards and said it was my fault that they had lost 4-0!

"I asked him why and he said his players were put off having to concentrate on not swearing!

"I'm not sure if a younger referee would do what I do. I don't know if he would understand it. But that's control."

White added: "When I officiate I always shout offside' if it's offside. That way both sets of players know what I have whistled for - they don't have to come up to me asking why.

"When the ball goes out of play for a throw-in, I always shout red ball' or yellow ball' depending on the shirt colours. I never just shout throw-in' because that way both sets of players will start to ask for it.

"By shouting a lot and communicating that way, everyone gets the message."

Not that White's methods are 100 per cent successful - only a few weeks ago he was assaulted for only the second time in half a century of whistling.

"A few weeks ago I was refereeing a Lymington team in a Sunday game and their striker decided to kick the left-back," he recalled.

"I saw him do it and asked him why. He just said frustration ref'. I showed him the red card and immediately he was face to face with me.

"He butted me and I fell down - it was early in the season and the pitches were hard and I had a bruise on my bum for weeks!

"He has since sent me a letter of apology and said he hoped I would carry on refereeing. I've got to go to a hearing in Bournemouth because he's appealed - I have no idea why, he hasn't got a hope in hell of getting off."

Despite that incident in a Bournemouth Sunday game, White added: "I like to think I've got a lot of respect from the players. I always wear my Football League badge, which I'm very proud of, and the players can see that. The majority of people know me by my first name.

"Respect has to be earnt by the referee. Just because you're out there wearing a black suit doesn't mean you should automatically get it.

"I'd say to anybody thinking of taking up refereeing that it's a wonderful thing to do.

"It's more than a hobby, it's something you have to be dedicated to.

"It takes selfish dedication but there's great opportunities out there for a young man wanting to take it up."