Ref's whistle costs punter £500,000

A gambler lost out on a £500,000 football jackpot when the ref blew for full-time just as a last-gasp goal was about to cross the line.

The unlucky mystery punter staked £3 on a string of FA Cup upsets at the weekend, reports The Mirror.

Three results panned out as he predicted but he watched in horror as ref Kevin Friend ruled out the last goal he needed in Leeds' fourth round clash with Spurs.

Ladbrokes, his local bookies, said it would have been "the greatest outside wager of all time" had the whistle blown a second later.

The Lucky 15 combination bet meant the tipster could still console himself with a nice but less ­spectacular £17,000 win.

Ladbrokes' Alex Donohue said last night: "The referee has most definitely ruined our punter's dream.

"Seventeen grand is sweet enough but he was literally one second away from having his life changed forever."

The gambler, of Oldham, Greater Manchester, predicted Sunday's televised match would finish 3-1 to the Championship side.

With Leeds winning 2-1 in injury time, Spurs goalie Brad Friedel went up for a corner and left his goal exposed.

The ball then fell to Leeds midfielder Rodolph Austin, who struck from his own half towards the empty net.

Mr Friend then became the better's worst enemy when he blew his whistle with the ball about to trickle over the line.

The gambler correctly predicted Oldham's 3-2 victory against Liverpool, Brentford's 2-2 draw with Chelsea and St Mirren's 3-2 win against Celtic in Scotland.