Former referees Des Roache and Steve Conroy have lauded Nick Walsh for his performance during Celtic vs Rangers at Hampden - touting him as a candidate to referee Champions League matches in the future.
Walsh was appointed as the match official for the hotly-anticipated Old Firm clash two weeks ago, and with tensions always likely to reach boiling point at Hampden, Walsh alleviated any fears of an abject refereeing performance with a composed, controlling display in the middle of the pitch.
He carded 10 players in total throughout the game but didn't allow the tie to spiral out of control on a day of high emotion. Roache and Conroy - the latter refereeing an Old Firm clash himself in 2010 - waxed lyrical about his performance, stating that he should be installed into UEFA competitions as a result.
The pair told Grosvenor Sport: “Nick showed why he’s the best referee we’ve got in Scotland. I think he’s been up there and we've John Beaton, Kevin Clancy, Willie Collum, these guys around the same level.
“But that performance showed he’s head and shoulders above what we’ve got. That cemented his status at the No. 1 referee in Scotland, he had a tremendous game.
"He waited until the 50th minute for the first caution, John Lundstram, and all the cautions were justified. The whole game he looked calm, composed, you didn’t see much remonstrating from players at ANY of the decisions.
"Nick will take immense credit from the performance. It will boost his personal confidence and boost his regard with players and other teams, so when Aberdeen, Dundee United etc see that Nick is in charge of their game, they know they’ve got the top man.
"He’s done Europa Conference League games and Nations League. Now he deserves the chance to progress further in Europe, I hope that Crawford Allan, our Head of Referee Operations, and the SFA are promoting and pushing him to get the better games.
“He’s certainly worth a couple of Champions League group games next season on that performance. He barely put a foot wrong, he was fantastic, it’s as faultless performance I’ve seen in a long time.
"Nick has got the trajectory to, potentially, be one of the best in Europe but that will need support of the SFA and UEFA to get there. It will take time to build his profile, his credentials at that level, however, he’s given himself a really solid footing.
"Given the right coaching, education, support and mentorship from experienced referees above him, he’s going to get good opportunities on the European schedule. If you’re doing Celtic-Rangers so well, is that any different to doing major games in Europe?
"Absolutely not. If you can be trusted with that, you can be trusted with any big game.
"I hope UEFA give him trust and backing to test him in their more challenging games. If he’s handed a better stage, I’m sure he'll handle it quite comfortably.”
