'I'm proud of my achievements' - Retiring Irish League referee Raymond Crangle hopes to stay involved in football after final match in charge

Crangle took charge of his final match on Saturday evening – he was the man in charge as champions Larne defeated Coleraine 5-0 at Inver Park – bringing his personal tally to 405, according to statistician Marshall Gillespie.

He was called into action in the dying moments of the first-half, sending off Bannsiders defender Darren Cole for fouling Paul O’Neill in the penalty area, but otherwise had a straightforward evening as he brought the curtain down on his time in the middle.

While admitting he’ll likely miss being involved on a matchday when next season rolls around, Crangle has a desire to stay involved and pass his expertise onto emerging referees.

"It has been a long career and I'm proud of my achievements,” he told BBC Sportsound. “It's a poignant day for me to finish at the home of this year's champions.

"No doubt when it comes to August and the season starts again I'll miss it, but I can be proud of my achievements. Hopefully I can remain in the game and enhance and develop the careers of other referees.

"The product of the Irish League now is immense in comparison to when I started out. The media coverage is much more extensive, the clubs are more professional, the players much fitter and refereeing has had to try and keep pace with that the whole time.

"I feel the current group of referees are up to the task over the coming years. It's great getting personal accolades, but the refereeing family is a very close knit team and we all work hard to encourage each other on.

"That won't change and I hope to remain involved in the game and continue that work."