Game 5

Another day, another game and I wouldn't swap the situation for all the tea in China.

Tonight's game was a proper local derby with the team bases just over a mile apart and early season bragging rights were at stake. Fat Lad, fresh from his holiday in Cyprus, was on the touchline ready to offer advice and comment in the event of any errors of judgement. So no pressure then ...

The game was scrappy with the ball pumped from one end of the field to the other, up and down the considerable hill and the sun appearing through the trees at the top end of the field. Not a lot for me to do in the first half except have a couple of captain assisted conversations with some slightly over enthusiastic players, deal with a player with a blood wound and issue one caution for a desperate late challenge. We reached half time at 0-0 and Fat Lad said I was probably wrong with my last offside call of the half, but that was all. So far, so good ...

Second half more of the same but with two unnecessary cautions, one goal for the away team which was a screamer of a shot from around 25 yards. There was a claim for a kick from the penalty mark by the away team but I waved it away. Fat Lad later told me that there had been a shirt pull but it was outside the penalty area and from my position there was no way I could have seen the contact.

So it finished 1-0 to the away team, but it could so easily have been 0-0, three cautions split between the two teams and 1443 calories burned off. First half was max hr at 94% and average of 81% (hard work). Second half was max hr at 90% and average 75% (still pretty good).

So it's on to tomorrow night and the last in my series of 6 games in 7 days. I'm resting on Wednesday, training Thursday and Friday before games on Saturday and Sunday. No rest for the wicked ...