Game 18

I used to referee today's teams when they played (under different names) in the local league in my town. One was a strong physical team and the other had some discipline issues, especially with dissent. Some things never change ...

The game was only 8 minutes old when I had two cautions for a very late challenge and then the retaliation pushing and shoving that followed. If the player committing the foul had reacted to the pushing, then he might have picked up a second caution and left me with no alternative but to issue my first dismissal of the season. I still can't believe that I've been in the middle of 14 games so far this season and I've been able to keep the red card tucked away.

I did have to speak to the home team manager after he complained about me undertaking a quick check on the ball at a goal kick. His reaction might have attracted a misconduct report on another day, but once we spoke he understood he had over stepped the mark and said nothing more throughout the whole game. His team ribbed him afterwards as he had briefed them all before the game to ensure they showed appropriate respect for the match official!

Anyway back to this one ... the home team had a big bustling centre forward and he was trying to use his physical presence to bully some of the opposition. Unfortunately for him I was in the right place at the right time to see that he was doing it illegally and after speaking to him quietly then publicly, he continued in the same way and on conceding his 4th free kick in 15 minutes I cautioned him for persistent infringement ... he committed one more foul in the rest of the game!

Once more my man management and positioning at corner kicks was wasted as I pointed out to a defender that if he kept pushing the attacker and the ball came into play, then I would award a kick from the penalty mark. He stopped pushing but his goalkeeper picked up the baton and we had the first goal. The equaliser followed soon afterwards through some poor defending.

At the same end of the field a player turned away from an opponent who kicked him hard on the side of the leg while challenging for the ball. The attacker retained possession but lost advantage and the game's second kick from the penalty mark was also scored. One player had voiced his protests too loudly and I asked his captain to speak to him to bring him into line. This worked but a second player made an even louder protest, despite having seen his team mate pulled into line, so he picked up a caution.

Another goal to the home team saw a 3-1 scoreline at half time and four cautions split evenly. An early goal for the home team killed the game as a contest and I had two more cautions for the away team (captain and the player I got him to pull into line) for an off the ball foul and verbal dissent. Score 4-1, 6 cautions split 2/4 home/away. I burned 1485 calories (now a low figure when including half time), with a max hr of 92% and 77% average. Then on to a big night out around my wife's home town ...