New, smaller and more friendly

The first weekend in the months of October to March in my part of the world see County competitions taking place across the full age range.

Last season I received the honour of a semi-final appointment for the Junior Shield which involved two 11 a side teams playing on a full sized field. Roll on the advance of the Youth Review and the County FA have adopted the 9v9 (with offside) format for this year's competition. Having already put in a couple of two game Sundays, I was virtually obliged to accept the appointment to a First Round game in a neighbouring town to accompany my open age Sunday Trophy game in the same town.

The first match of the day was very competitive for around 60 minutes as the two teams battled against the long grass, bright sunshine with honest endeavour and I was only required to step in a couple of times to settle disputes. The away team were leading 3-1 after 12 minutes in a whirlwind start but the home team drew level just before half time and romped away by 4 clear goals by full time. At the end, the home club secretary praised me for my no-nonsense approach and said he hoped to see me later in the competition (unlikely).

I made my way across the town to enjoy my first experience of 9v9 football. The game was taking place on a newly laid field which was purpose built next to a community centre in the centre of a new housing development. The turf was so new, the joins could still be seen and the sand on which it was layed was peaking out between the joins.

The game itself was fairly competitive but again the home team won by 4 clear goals. What was refreshing was the attitude of the parents towards the players that I had to speak to about their behaviour. They were supportive and offered mainly constructive advice as the game proceeded. At the end, two parents made a point of coming to tell me how much they had enjoyed my refereeing. They wished that all the referees they saw were so willing to talk to the players and to be proactive with any hint of conflict. I was just happy the game was over even though I found 9v9 much more friendly than 11v11.

I had started the day with the tiredness from being on my feet for much of the previous day at a friend's wedding. As designated driver I had "enjoyed" around 4 pints of blackcurrant cordial and soda water washed down with 2 pints of iced water. I was also developing a head cold which has kicked in with full force today.

The final matter was the words of the cardiologist who examined me on the day before these games. He advised me not to allow my heart rate to creep into the 90-100% of maximum range and to avoid alcohol until he has conducted further tests. Part two of his instructions were easier to follow than part one and I must admit that my heart rate spent just under 10 1/2 minutes in the "naughty" zone. I survived though and will live to referee another day even though my knees are feeling the after effects of the hard dry ground yesterday afternoon.