Sick-leave linesman returns to pitch

Nigel Miller officiated at Leeds, despite suffering stress

A policeman who officiated at one of the biggest Premiership games of the season while off sick has made his comeback in front of just a few thousand supporters.

Durham Police Sergeant Nigel Miller was criticised after he ran the line at the incident-packed game between Leeds United and Manchester United on 14 September.

The game was watched by almost 40,000 and a television audience of millions.

The 42-year-old had been absent from his job as a custody officer for a number of weeks and is understood to have been suffering from stress.

High-profile clash

Mr Miller, who lives in a village on the outskirts of Durham, has now been running the line at the Third Division game between Hartlepool United and Rushden and Diamonds.

He returned to work last week.

His managers gave him permission to officiate at matches, saying the exercise involved could be "therapeutic".

But football authorities removed him from the high-profile Newcastle United clash with local rivals Sunderland, and Bradford City's game against Burnley last week.

Tough game

Club officials agreed the Hartlepool fixture did not have the allure of the Tyne-Wear derby, where 52,000 fans watched the 2-0 win for Newcastle United.

But they still felt the game would be a good test of Mr Miller's skills.

Before the game, Hartlepool United were top of the Third Division while Rushden were sixth.

A Hartlepool United spokesman said: "It is an important game for us.

"They are all cup finals when you are top of the league and that is not something we have traditionally had to cope with."