It may have been two hours since he blew the final whistle but referee Steve Tomlin's match is far from over.

Walsall have just drawn with Millwall, the home players are already planning their Saturday evenings, the visitors are well on their way back to South London and the fans have long since chewed the fat over the afternoon's key decisions.

But Tomlin, Sussex's most experienced referee, is still working back at his Bromsgrove hotel. It will be another 12 hours before he draws a line under this match, his paperwork complete, his match video watched and analysed. Then he starts preparing for the next match.

Before then, Tomlin has the small matter of fitting in a full week's work as a fireman in Brighton.

Anyone who thinks a referee turns up on a Saturday afternoon, blows his whistle a couple of times and then goes home should think again. For the modern referee, it is more than 90 minutes.

Tomlin does not have the lavish lifestyle of Paul Merson, Dennis Wise and Ray Wilkins who were all involved on Saturday in some capacity. On many occasions, he scurries away from the ground after a match and is back in Brighton to start his nightshift at 6pm or as near to that time as he can.

Welcome to the world of refereeing.

Tomlin, one of the firemen who pulled Norman Tebbit out of the Grand Hotel following the IRA bomb in 1984, has been a Football League referee for five years. He has one more season after this one before reaching the compulsory retirement age of 48.

He took up refereeing by chance 24 years ago. He explained: "I had a mate who was always getting himself sent off. He said he wanted to do a referees' course to find out what he was doing wrong. It was an excuse for a beer so I went and did the course with him."

Since then, it has been up and up. He now gets three or four appointments a month which take him to all parts of the country.

Preparations for Saturday's First Division clash between Walsall and FA Cup semi-finalists Millwall started a couple of days before the game.

He said: "I will look at the comments the two managers make about the game in case there is a problem area. I look at the result from the previous meeting and I look at the League positions of the two teams to see how important it is.

"I study the disciplinary records of the clubs in the Fair Play League and I look at the individual records."

A trip to Walsall includes an overnight stay and Tomlin is early to work on matchday.

11.30am: Bags are packed and checked. After a few polite words with West Brom players, who are sharing the same hotel and seem to recognise him, Tomlin sets off for the ground.

12.10pm: Tomlin arrives at the Bescot Stadium, which is a compact little ground. He has been here before and heads straight to the referee's changing room to meet up with assistants Malcolm West and Bob Desmond.

12.20pm: The banter is already under way. You might think referees sit about discussing the finer points of Rule 38, appendix B, but this is just like any players' dressing rooms. Jokes are flying around and fourth official Bill Ramsay, a likeable Scot, is the butt of most of them. Tomlin said: "It is important to build up team spirit. At one second past three you might need these guys for the biggest decision of your season."

1.15pm: Having already met referees' assessor Neil Rusling, Tomlin briefs West, Desmond and Ramsay about what he expects from them. Then they walk the pitch for the first time.

1.40pm: Briefing with the head of security who discusses potential problems with Millwall supporters but suggests their past record at Walsall has been good.

2.00pm: Three former England internationals come into the referee's changing room. Walsall skipper Merson, coach Paul Bracewell, Millwall assistant-boss Wilkins and their Australian skipper Kevin Muscat hand over team sheets.

2.25pm: Out on to the pitch for a ten-minute warm-up.

2.45pm: Tomlin checks that West is okay. The assistant is quiet but confirms he is fine.

2.50pm: Tomlin, otherwise fully kitted, finally puts his shorts on. He said: "We all have nervous tendencies, superstitions and idiosyncrasies."

2.54pm: Everyone gathers in the tunnel and Desmond chases up Millwall who are late out of their dressing room.

3pm: The build-up is over and the match is unde way. It takes 79 seconds for Tomlin to blow his whistle for the first foul by Walsall's Zigor Aranalde.

3.28pm: The first yellow card of the contest is shown to Millwall's Matt Lawrence for running 30 yards to protest to the referee. He is followed into the book by team-mate Tim Cahill for a two-footed challenge.

3.46pm: Tomlin blows for half-time and back in the dressing room he asks for constructive criticism before telling his team to maintain their concentration.

4.09pm: Millwall's Danny Dichio is booked for kicking the ball away and Walsall's Jermaine McSporran gets yellow card No. 4 soon after for a reckless challenge.

4.34pm: Walsall score and Millwall respond by putting Tomlin under pressure. Dichio and Paul Ifill go down appealing for penalties but Tomlin is not interested.

4.44pm: Ifill draws Millwall level.

4.50pm: Tomlin blows for full-time and he is confronted in the tunnel by Walsall boss Colin Lee who suggests there was a foul just before Ifill scored.

4.55pm: A club official comes in with the pay packets. A referee gets £230 for a game plus travelling expenses and a hotel allowance.

5.05pm: Rusling, the assessor, comes into the dressing room to run through Tomlin's performance. He is complimentary which suggests a good report to follow.

The following day Tomlin must attend one of four compulsory seminars during the season. He has also three compulsory fitness tests during the campaign. It is a lot of time for someone who has to use his annual holiday allowance for his refereeing.

Tomlin said: "I take umbridge with the phrase that we are not professional. What else can we do to be professional apart from get a full time income?

"Is it all worth it? Sometimes I think not as I spend a lot of time away from my partner Georgina.

"It is a hobby that got out of control. I never thought I would be swapping Hanbury Park and the Victoria Pavilion for Old Trafford and Wembley."

If you want to become a referee like Steve Tomlin, then contact Martin Bodenham at the Sussex County FA on 01903 753547 or email referees@sussexfa.com