The former head of the Premier League referees – and the writer of the Observer's You Are The Ref Column – talks about his exasperation at how long it has taken to implement Hawk-Eye

It was the summer of 2006 when I was asked what one change would make life better for referees. The Premier League's summer conference, a gathering of owners and chief executives, wanted to know how to improve decision-making and cut the risk of expensive mistakes. So I told them what I and the majority of my colleagues had long wanted: quick, accurate, unobtrusive goalline technology. They told me to go and get it.

A few days later I met Dr Paul Hawkins, the head of Hawk-Eye, to discuss how it would work in football. Soon we were at Fulham's training ground to see an early prototype, followed by another demonstration at Reading with members of the International Football Association Board, the game's lawmakers. It was rudimentary – scaffolding and cameras – but the technology was there: an instant decision, instantly relayed to the referee. Progress was rapid, and we seemed on course to roll it out within a year.

And here we are, seven years later. It has definitely been frustrating to watch progress checked by a lack of faith from the game's governing bodies, and it seems bizarre that our new cameras will be turned off for European games next season as Uefa are still unconvinced. But the overall feeling among officials is one of relief.

It is a brilliant system. High-speed cameras positioned around the ground cover all angles and alert the referee via a wrist sensor when the whole of the ball has crossed the line – without any stoppage or third-party involvement.

Everyone can reel off the instances where it would have changed games, but the one that is most vivid for me was Tottenham's Pedro Mendes spotting Roy Carroll off his line at Old Trafford in 2010 and beating him – only for the officials, too far away to judge, to miss it going in. I could see it from my seat in the stand, but the assistant at ground level would have had to be Usain Bolt to be in any position to judge it.

When I was head of refereeing in this country we were constantly criticised for good goals being ruled out – sometimes up to 10 a season. Finally we can put that right.

The Premier League has invested a lot of time and effort into this over many years, and deserve huge credit for sticking at it despite all the naysayers. Uefa will persist with additional assistant referees – that is their call. We are now one step ahead.