Well, here's a clue that might help - they are one and the same! Okay, so it's maybe not official, but today I think I can exclusively reveal the answer. It's none other than Martin Sludden from Dromore. And how do I know? Because he has said so himself, apparently. I'm not saying that, but Frank 'The King' McGuigan is alleging it!
He phoned me last week to claim that the bold Sludden had sensationally, and
presumably inadvertently, let the cat out of the bag to a couple of Ardboe players last Sunday afternoon when they dared question one of his decisions during the all-county league match against Cookstown.
So I suppose I can expect an e-mail from Croke Park any day now with the official announcement. But I won't be holding my breath, mind you, just in case he was jesting! For I'm told that Sludden is a bit of a joker!
According to 'The King', what Sludden -
pictured right - actually said to the guys when they disputed the free to Cookstown was along these lines: 'I'm never wrong; Do you not know that I am the best referee in Tyrone, if not the whole of Ireland?'
McGuigan doesn't agree, however:
"He's far from it; for a start he spends far too much time admiring the backs of his legs! Does he not recall the horlicks (I changed this word from another which sounds
vaguely similar - sports editor) he made of a match last year at Croke Park, when his decision to disallow a goal for taking four steps cost Wexford a vital win, television pictures later proving him wrong?" said McGuigan, who did concede that his being the best in Tyrone might be a possibility because he believes the competition is not up to much.
"Mickey Hughes probably thinks he's the top dog in Tyrone because he gets the odd outing at Croke Park, but then he also blotted his copybook very badly when he allowed a goal for Dublin when the television pictures showed the guy had taken something ridiculous, like eleven steps or so" he added.
On the topic of referees, McGuigan fired a brickbat in the direction of Shane Dorrity as well for somehting he witnessed on Tuesday night, also down in Ardboe.
"He was in charge of a match between two U13 teams and he ran quite a long way and showed red cards to two lads, one from Ardboe and one from The Moy, after they
had done a wee bit of pushing at one another. "There was no way it was anything near a sending-off offence for either. Yet the two youngsters are now going to be suspended for a month. It was a dreadful bit of refereeing and it achieves absolutely nothing" he added.