Moray and Banff Referee Association are looking for wannabee whistlers to follow same path as Scottish Premiership official Kevin Buchanan

Anyone afraid to take the step into football refereeing should follow the journey of Moray official Kevin Buchanan.

Moray and Banff Referee Association need more members, and begin a draft of new introductory sessions later this month.

A donation from Elgin Boys’ Club, who provide a platform for rookie refs to gain experience in youth football, will help Moray and Banff offer a limited number of free places on their next course days on February 23 and March 2.

Former junior footballer Buchanan - nicknamed ‘Covis’ - signed up for the introductory sessions in 2018, thinking he would just end up refereeing welfare matches for a bit of extra pocket money.

Instead, he has progressed through the ranks and made his Premiership debut in December when he ran the line at Ross County’s top tier fixture against Motherwell, a dream come true for the 41-year-old.

“I decided I would give it a bash, honestly not knowing what to expect,” he recalled. “But I was taken from the first night.

“It’s basically up to you how far you want to go. When I first started there were a couple of young lads, 16 or 17 who were told they could go to a World Cup one day.

“I think I was 36 and I was told I could maybe get to the Highland League. That was way more than I expected.”

But from officiating boys’ league games in his first year to running the line in the juniors, Buchanan was soon addicted and eager to progress further.

By 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, he earned his first major appointment as assistant referee at the Highland League Cup final between Rothes and Buckie Thistle at Huntly.

While fellow Moray and Banff referee Harry Bruce elected to be a referee, and is now a regular man-in-the-middle at SPFL and Highland League level, Buchanan took what he calls a sideways step and became a specialised assistant referee.

He ran the line at last season’s Scottish Junior Cup final between Darvel and Arthurlie, and has landed two promotions this season to development and now performance level.

That means he was on the line for SPFL fixtures, including Championship games at the likes of Falkirk, Ayr United, Dunfermline and Raith Rovers.

His big break came by good fortune, as while he was setting off to officiate in a Championship match at Hamilton, he got the call about a late call-off for Ross County’s Premiership match in November and he rerouted to Dingwall to make his top league debut.

“It was just by chance because of the weather, but it was still kind of trusted to go and do it.”

Ross County won the match 2-1, with Buchanan recalling a six-minute VAR check on Motherwell’s goal being the most notable incident.

“With my latest promotion at Christmas, there is a chance I'll be involved in bigger games.

“I say it to my wife all the time, when I come home from a game in the Championship and there’s maybe 5,000 fans there, all of them would potentially want to be on that pitch.

“Maybe not in my role, but they would love to be in there. I just feel privileged to be involved in football at this level.”

“It just goes to show that it is never too late to give refereeing a try. I wish I'd done it earlier.

“You get a lot of support along the way and it’s a great way to keep yourself fit.”

In Buchanan’s time, the introductory course was held over eight weeks but this year Moray and Banff are holding two Sunday stints to get budding refs learning the basics.

The Association’s long-standing links with Elgin Boys’ Club mean that the youth football group gets much-needed refs for their summer season, while the new recruits are given a platform to begin their journey.

Boys’ club president Allan Frisken arranged for a donation from club funds be made to Moray and Banff to help them attract more members by offering some free spaces on the next course.

Buchanan urges youngsters who love football, experienced players looking to stay in the game or anyone keen to begin a new sporting adventure to get in touch.

The image of referees being targeted for abuse from fans or players puts some people off taking the whistle, but Buchanan says he knows many people are curous about what his role involves,

“Getting abuse is where we find the barriers, I guess. When I speak to people they say ‘I don't know why you would do that’.

“But then, when I’m down at the Gleaner Arena or Borough Briggs, everybody seems to be interested in what I do. So we just need to break that barrier.

“I've done far more than I thought I ever would, and I can’t wait to see where it takes me next.”

Anyone interested in finding out more abut Moray and Banff Referees Association’s introductory sessions can contact the group through Facebook or email MBRefereeCourse@gmail.com.