May 7th

Got a text late on Wednesday afternoon asking if I could go watch Jason Collinson who I'd assessed back in September. He had been promoted to level 6 and now was taking on the middle of a local league cup semi-final, between George Healey United and The Wellington. Jason had also taken my place as 4th Official on the District Cup Final played on May 1st.

Both teams were made up of players from the Dewsbury area and many played in other teams in the local Sunday morning league on whose committee I sit as the Referee's Association representative. I had refereed The Wellington (or a previous incarnation when they played from another pub) in a Cup Final about 5 years ago, so I knew I'd be seeing a few familiar faces.

I arrived half an hour before kick off and missed his pre-match but had the chance for a chat. During the game he did very well bearing in mind the level of responsibility he had. He cautioned two players, could/should have cautioned two others and dismissed one. The dismissal came as a surprise to many but not the offending player. He's an old adversary of mine and when I asked him about what had happened, he admitted he had kicked the opposition player to try and stop his run on goal.

As for the game, George Healey went 1-0 ahead but an equaliser from The Wellington saw scores level at half time. Goals flew in during the second half and despite taking a lead, George Healey lost 4-2. I complimented all of the officials on the part they played and provided David Fuller, Secretary of the District FA with a brief assessment of Jason's performance. It must have been ok as I got asked to do something else the next day ...