A former St Albans City goalkeeper who was forced to give up refereeing after he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of throat cancer is planning an impending comeback to the pitch, a national newspaper has reported.

Premier League referee Mark Halsey, who was born in Welwyn Garden City, was diagnosed with the disease in August, just six months after his wife, Michelle, was told she had leukaemia.

Mr Halsey, who joined St Albans City in the early nineties, was warned by doctors that it was an aggressive form, forcing him to quit his line of duty.

But it was reported today how the results of a scan taken at the start of last week had shown that the 48-year-old’s cancer was in remission.

He told the Daily Mail that he was looking forward to making a return this season to Stamford Bridge, Anfield, Old Trafford, the Emirates and some of the other major grounds. Fans could even see the whistler taking charge of matches as soon as January of next year. However he will continue to undergo daily radiotherapy treatment until Christmas Day to prevent the cancer from returning.

Halsey, who now lives in Bolton with his wife and their three-year-old daughter Lucy, was appointed to the Football League list of referees in the mid-1990s and was promoted to the Premier League list in 1999.

He has officiated three times at Wembley, taking charge of the 1998/99 League One play-off final between Manchester City and Gillingham, refereeing the 2007 Community Shield between Chelsea and Manchester United and the 2008 Carling Cup Final between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.