TWIN brothers John and Anthony Yorke have got footballers seeing double with their refereeing talents.

The pair, from Chilton, County Durham, who celebrated their 16th birthdays yesterday, took up referee training at the age of 14 and have become familiar figures at games all over the North-East.

John has recently been named Sedgefield Referees Society's Young Referee of the Year. However, Anthony jokes that the judges have got the brothers mixed up.

John said: "I was really surprised to get the award, but I am ecstatic.''

Proud grandfather George Yorke has not missed a game and said he hopes the boys go all the way to referee FIFA games.

Newcastle United fan John shares that ambition and has hopes one day of being at the centre of a clash between his heroes and Manchester United.

His allegiance could start a family feud, as Anthony is a devoted follower of Sir Alex Ferguson's team.

The boys' careers are also being watched by mother Judith, who recently passed her refereeing exams.

She said: "I wanted to show my full support for the boys. They have done so well. Sometimes their decisions get questioned on the sidelines and I wanted to be able to understand so I could tell them they have made the right decision."