IPSWICH Town may not have made the play-offs, but two Suffolk officials have landed plum appointments for the coming weekend’s finals.

Steve Tanner has been appointed referee for the Division One play-off final involving Huddersfield and Peterborough at Old Trafford on Sunday and Simon Long will be an assistant referee for the Championship play-off final between Reading and Swansea at Wembley Stadium on Bank Holiday Monday.

Suffolk FA chairman Mick Pearce, who is a former referee, said: “I am personally delighted and so is Suffolk FA. It is the tip of the iceberg to what has been a great season for us, but particularly for our referees.”

Tanner, who took over the post of Suffolk FA Referees’ Development Office in January of this, year ended the season as the top referee of the Coca-Cola Championship, League One and League Two for the season.

Long has also enjoyed a successful season, and has been appointed to the UEFA & FIFA List of Assistant Referees this year as well as an assistant referee at the recent FA Carlsberg Trophy Final.

Pearce said: “Steve has been the highest ranked referee for the whole season and he has got his just desserts, while Simon has had an amazing year. It is pretty unusual for an official to be awarded the FA Trophy final and also a play-off final in the same year and show how highly regarded he is.”

The appointments are the culmination of what has been a record year for Suffolk FA’s team of match officials, who are celebrating a record year for promotions.

Pearce added: “Over the last two years Suffolk, which is just an average-sized county, has had the highest number of referees promoted to Level 4 nationally.”

Chris Pollard, who has been promoted from Level 7 to Level 3 in just three years, and Mark Potkins have been invited to join the National List of Contributory League Referees (Level 3) whilst no fewer than ten referees have been promoted to the National List of National List of Contributory League Assistant Referees (Level 4).

The ten referees are Dean Ricci, Reg Barker, George Laflin, Ollie Morris-Sanders, Paul Andrews, Colin Warn, Callum Walchester, Steve Bassingthwaighte, Gareth Moir and Sean Kilbourn.