On 27 January 1998, he was referee for the Football League Cup semi-final first leg between Liverpool and Middlesbrough, which was a 2–1 home win.
[5] He also controlled the semi-final second leg the following year in the same competition, when Spurs won 1–0 at Wimbledon on 16 February 1999, for an aggregate win by that score.
[6] On 28 March 1998, Willard was involved in a Premier League game at Oakwell Stadium between Barnsley and Liverpool - which finished 2–3.
[7] His final Premiership game was West Ham's 4–0 win over Middlesbrough at Upton Park on 16 May 1999,[8] but he continued to referee for FIFA.
The English referees' chief at the time, Philip Don, stated that Willard had not taken any Premier League appointments due to "personal reasons".