“This is definitely a real honour and I’m looking forward to it.”
With a number of celebrity, ex-NUFC players already announced for the Pavel Srnicek Charity Cup in July it could well have gone unnoticed that one of the first announcements was that of referee – Barry Sweeney.
The Sweeney story is a well-publicised one and grief, the loss of loved ones, is known by us all. In this case, blood runs thick and deep and Barry, who lost his son Liam, tragically, in the MH17 air crash of 2014, July 10 will become as poignant a day as they come.
The love shared for Pavel though, strengthened after his own passing late last year, has brought a lot of people closer together and formed bonds that, without question, will never be broken – that much was seen at the Memorial Service and for Barry, and his wife, his being awarded officials’ status, is built around that love.
He said: “When Steve (Wraith) organised the evening with Pavel, Quinny (Micky Quinn) and Watto (Steve Watson), my wife fell in love with him (Pav) at first sight.
“We loved him as a player as well as a person and he became a legend. He was a totally humble man, wasn’t a superstar, just him, and you could see that for, as we lived close by, the kids would go round often and he never turned them away.
“Pav always had time for people and I don’t think that there’s anyone, anywhere, who didn’t love Pav. He just came to Newcastle, played football, and became a naturalised Geordie.
“As for the game itself I’m really looking forward to it. We’ll help fill the ground that’s for sure as I’ll certainly bring a lot of support with me.”
Sweeney has been a match official in the Northern Alliance for around six years now and, although he finally gets his County badge this season, the Pavel Srnicek Charity Cup will be the biggest game of his career in black.
“It’ll certainly be nice to be back there (Dunston),” continued Barry.
“Granted it’ll bring back memories for us but this is an honour and pleasure to do. Situations like Pav’s, and what happened to our Liam and John (Alder) really does show that life is more important than a game of football but the camaraderie that will most certainly surface around it all will be very heart-warming. “
Tickets for ‘The Pavel Srnicek Charity Cup’ in aid of St Oswalds Hospice and the Srnicek Family taking place at the UTS Stadium, Dunston on July 10 are on sale now from the Newcastle Legends Events Page priced at £7.00 for adults and £3.50 for children.