IF ever one man's career was affected by one game, it could be argued that it was Paul Gascoigne and the 1991 FA Cup Final.

And the man at the centre of the drama in the opening minutes of the clash between Spurs and Nottingham Forest was referee Roger Milford.

Milford admitted: "I always liked reffing Gazza, he was a unique character.

"I had some great times in charge of Tottenham games because you could have some great banter with him, he was rabbitting all the time.

"I remember in one match I had to pull him up after one challenge to say that I had spoken to him about four different tackles.

"He told me I hadn't, I said I had, he insisted I hadn't but I was sure I had.

"Then Gazza said with a grin that it was actually six times. He was that kind of guy."

So it was against that background that Milford came to be in charge of what was going to be his final game in England, under the Twin Towers in the biggest match in the football calendar.

Gascoigne escaped punishment for a chest high challenge on Garry Parker in the opening minutes and then launched himself into a foul on Gary Charles that caused the cruciate ligament damage that was to delay his move to Lazio by a year.

"After the game a few of the Tottenham people came up to me and admitted they should have warned me how hyped up Paul was," said Milford.

"He was about to go to Italy and he apparently wanted to show everyone he could look after himself.

"Even in the pre-match warm up he was apparently trying to knock the busbies off the head of the band as they were playing.

"To be honest I never saw the first challenge properly. I could see it was a foul but I never saw where the contact was made but I still had a quick word with Paul after it and told him to be careful.

"But the second tackle was just Gazza pressing the self destruct button.

"I was going to book him but to be honest the physio came over to me and told me he was finished for the game and I saw little point in giving him a yellow card.

"I have always been someone who wears my heart on my sleeve and I would do the same again.

"It was a shame because he is my type of player. He is like Ian Wright, a player you could talk to and have a laugh with.

"Sadly there are too few of those characters around today as both players and referees. They don't have the same charisma that Gazza has got."

Some have argued that Gascoigne has never fully recovered from that fateful day 11 years ago but Milford believes he could have done nothing to stop him.

Now he just hopes that one of his favourite players will be a success at Turf Moor.