Delovski wins GF honour

Strebre Delovski has marked an excellent season of refereeing in the Hyundai A-League by being named as the man in the middle for Saturday's Grand Final between Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC.

Wollongong-based Delovski was voted both the 2009/10 Zurich Referee of the Year and PFA Referee of the Year this season and will officiate in his first Grand Final.

"This year has been fantastic," Delovski said. "Refereeing the Japan v Korea match (at the East Asian Football Championships) was a pretty special experience but to be appointed to referee the Hyundai A-League 2010 Grand Final is an even bigger honour."

"To be recognised by your peers is a great achievement, but to be nominated by the players is also a very special award."

Delovski may have only taken charge of 45 Hyundai A-League matches in the past, but is ready for the biggest challenge of his career.

"I'm really looking forward to Saturday, but when I get out there I'm going to treat it like any match that I have refereed throughout the season but will also take a moment to enjoy the occasion," Delovski said.

Mark Shield refereed the first three Hyundai A-League Grand final, while Matthew Breeze took charge of last year's match between Melbourne and Adelaide.

Meanwhile, FFA has confirmed that only 5,000 tickets remain for the match.