I'm a reasonably happy chappy bumbling through my late 40s rapidly advancing on becoming a grandad for the first time but occasionally I get knocked off my path and I find myself falling into a slight dip in my positive outlook.
Over the last few weeks I have attended two games to assess the referee for promotion and both have been abandoned. Last week I picked up a District Cup backword, turned up at the ground only for the away team not to show. On Sunday I picked up another backword, this time for a Sunday League Trophy game with a place in the Quarter Final at stake, but the home team haven't paid some fines and have been suspended for a minimum of 7 days meaning the game has been postponed.
So is it me or do I just have a convergence of unusual situations occurring?
The upside is that I was able to help out the local Junior Football League and they have offered me two games, 2 hours apart within 5 miles of each other, so at least I'm going to get some game time in ... well at least until tomorrow when the weather is supposed to take a turn for the worse and snow showers sweep in from the Arctic ...
Showing posts with label Cup Games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cup Games. Show all posts
Thursday, 25 October 2012
Sunday, 30 September 2012
Not a lot of people know that
After more than 12 years involvement in a refereeing, it's rare that something happens which makes me go hmmmm.
This morning I had a Cup game to referee between two open age teams who have "interesting" disciplinary records this season. Although I never try to pre-judge players or teams, I do have a strategy to deal with certain situations. This morning's strategy was to strangle the game in the first 10 minutes, then ease off if things quietened down.
Things almost went to plan but a 3 cautions and a penalty in the first half hour meant it would take something unusual to bring this one completely under control. And that's when it fell into my lap and had players questioning my action but in a good way. It was a simple course of events with a charge in the penalty area seeing the award of another penalty. It would, if scored, tie the scores as we headed into the last 5 minutes of the half.
I went through the procedure of letting the player set the ball - a little to the side of the centre of the mark as the centre was a few millimetres short of being a crater (just as we had for the earlier penalty at the other end of the field) - sweeping the edge of the penalty (and getting the usual grumbles) - talking to the goalkeeper about staying on his goal line until the ball was played and then signalling the restart.
The player ran up and hit the ball, it looked a good kick but hit the inside of the goal post and bounced out. I'm sure I heard a team mate shout that he couldn't play it again but that's exactly what he did. My brain went through a series of thoughts such as "Did he really do that?", "If he did, what am I supposed to do?" and finally, "I'm going to get grief here".
I blew the whistle and because I displayed the indirect free kick signal a number of players said, "Oh yeah, offside" and wandered back towards their own goal to defend. A couple asked me why I hadn't let his follow up shot, which went into the goal, stand. I explained quickly that you can't play the ball to yourself at any restart and eventually the message filtered through to those near me.
Before the half was finished I had to dismiss one of the players cautioned earlier. I left his team alone to re-organise at half time but when the game was over I was happy to explain the reason for my actions and for once, the players appeared to appreciate the finer points of the law. So maybe I had two unusual things happen today?
This morning I had a Cup game to referee between two open age teams who have "interesting" disciplinary records this season. Although I never try to pre-judge players or teams, I do have a strategy to deal with certain situations. This morning's strategy was to strangle the game in the first 10 minutes, then ease off if things quietened down.
Things almost went to plan but a 3 cautions and a penalty in the first half hour meant it would take something unusual to bring this one completely under control. And that's when it fell into my lap and had players questioning my action but in a good way. It was a simple course of events with a charge in the penalty area seeing the award of another penalty. It would, if scored, tie the scores as we headed into the last 5 minutes of the half.
I went through the procedure of letting the player set the ball - a little to the side of the centre of the mark as the centre was a few millimetres short of being a crater (just as we had for the earlier penalty at the other end of the field) - sweeping the edge of the penalty (and getting the usual grumbles) - talking to the goalkeeper about staying on his goal line until the ball was played and then signalling the restart.
The player ran up and hit the ball, it looked a good kick but hit the inside of the goal post and bounced out. I'm sure I heard a team mate shout that he couldn't play it again but that's exactly what he did. My brain went through a series of thoughts such as "Did he really do that?", "If he did, what am I supposed to do?" and finally, "I'm going to get grief here".
I blew the whistle and because I displayed the indirect free kick signal a number of players said, "Oh yeah, offside" and wandered back towards their own goal to defend. A couple asked me why I hadn't let his follow up shot, which went into the goal, stand. I explained quickly that you can't play the ball to yourself at any restart and eventually the message filtered through to those near me.
Before the half was finished I had to dismiss one of the players cautioned earlier. I left his team alone to re-organise at half time but when the game was over I was happy to explain the reason for my actions and for once, the players appeared to appreciate the finer points of the law. So maybe I had two unusual things happen today?
Saturday, 8 May 2010
Nerves!
Another busy football week balanced by a horrendous week at work.
On Tuesday I met with David and Jamie to help plan out next week's Basic Course for New Referees at WRCFA HQ. We worked on it for nearly 4 hours and I crawled home just shy of midnight.
Thursday saw me turn out to watch Fat Lad in the District FA's Saturday Cup Final. The game finished 1-0 with a goal for the cup holders in Extra Time. He also had a mass confrontation to deal with but he and his Assistants (Munch and Collo) did what they needed to.
And now to today and the reason for the nerves ...
If Leeds United win, they are promoted to the Championship. Any other result would see them in the play-offs for the third season in succession and that is something no Leeds supporter wants to see.
On Tuesday I met with David and Jamie to help plan out next week's Basic Course for New Referees at WRCFA HQ. We worked on it for nearly 4 hours and I crawled home just shy of midnight.
Thursday saw me turn out to watch Fat Lad in the District FA's Saturday Cup Final. The game finished 1-0 with a goal for the cup holders in Extra Time. He also had a mass confrontation to deal with but he and his Assistants (Munch and Collo) did what they needed to.
And now to today and the reason for the nerves ...
If Leeds United win, they are promoted to the Championship. Any other result would see them in the play-offs for the third season in succession and that is something no Leeds supporter wants to see.
Sunday, 2 May 2010
Closing up
Saturday April 24 saw me make the shortish trip to Tadcaster to watch Steve on my last Supply League assessment of the season.
The last time I met him was when he made a guest appearance in my old Supply League and sent a player off for a second caution (issued on my call about dissent). As usual, I found some development areas and strengths for him and sent the report off on Sunday evening.
On Sunday morning I attended the District FA's 1st Sunday cup semi final. The games have historically been played at a ground where a small river (or "beck") runs alongside one touchline (about 10 feet away to be accurate). I spent most of my time clambering up and down the banks of the beck retrieving lost balls.
Monday saw me attend our RA end of season meeting while Tuesday meant a trip to the local Sunday League meeting. Wednesday was supposed to be a rest day but I had agreed to watch a game refereed by one of my coachees. He had a decent game but failed to apply the law in full when he penalised a DOGSO. We had a chat afterwards and I sent him a report on his game which he seemed to appreciate.
I also sent a copy to Jamie and we swapped texts and e-mails in readiness for our planning meeting for our next Basic Course for new Referees. Thursday saw me make the trip to the District FA's U14 cup final where a last minute goal saw the pre-match favourites run out 3-2 winners.
Friday really was a rest night as I caught up with Doctor Who and Ashes to Ashes (both quality BBC productions) but Saturday turned into a bit of a car crash. I had spoken to Steve at WRCFA HQ and offered to help with the remaining fixtures. The home team finished their first team fixtures and decided to tear up their field. Without a new venue the game was called off and no replacement was available, so I had an afternoon watching Charlton Athletic vs Leeds United online.
The result of that game went the wrong way and it all falls on next Saturday's fixture against Bristol Rovers ... a win sees Leeds promoted to The Championship. Finally, this morning I attended the 2nd of the District FA's semi finals and the pre-match favourites won 2-0 setting up the prospect of a quality final on the 16th!
The last time I met him was when he made a guest appearance in my old Supply League and sent a player off for a second caution (issued on my call about dissent). As usual, I found some development areas and strengths for him and sent the report off on Sunday evening.
On Sunday morning I attended the District FA's 1st Sunday cup semi final. The games have historically been played at a ground where a small river (or "beck") runs alongside one touchline (about 10 feet away to be accurate). I spent most of my time clambering up and down the banks of the beck retrieving lost balls.
Monday saw me attend our RA end of season meeting while Tuesday meant a trip to the local Sunday League meeting. Wednesday was supposed to be a rest day but I had agreed to watch a game refereed by one of my coachees. He had a decent game but failed to apply the law in full when he penalised a DOGSO. We had a chat afterwards and I sent him a report on his game which he seemed to appreciate.
I also sent a copy to Jamie and we swapped texts and e-mails in readiness for our planning meeting for our next Basic Course for new Referees. Thursday saw me make the trip to the District FA's U14 cup final where a last minute goal saw the pre-match favourites run out 3-2 winners.
Friday really was a rest night as I caught up with Doctor Who and Ashes to Ashes (both quality BBC productions) but Saturday turned into a bit of a car crash. I had spoken to Steve at WRCFA HQ and offered to help with the remaining fixtures. The home team finished their first team fixtures and decided to tear up their field. Without a new venue the game was called off and no replacement was available, so I had an afternoon watching Charlton Athletic vs Leeds United online.
The result of that game went the wrong way and it all falls on next Saturday's fixture against Bristol Rovers ... a win sees Leeds promoted to The Championship. Finally, this morning I attended the 2nd of the District FA's semi finals and the pre-match favourites won 2-0 setting up the prospect of a quality final on the 16th!
Friday, 12 March 2010
Another busy period
The first of the Sunday league semi finals passed off without too much incident apart from I gave myself a sore arm from pumping up 4 match balls from flat.
The weekend saw me transporting furniture and junk around West Yorkshire and between home and my in-laws in Bedford. It was almost a relief to get back to work on Monday. Monday saw me visit David at home as he handed over the reins of the District FA to me. I'm acting as caretaker while he is away on holiday but this period covers a period of intense administrative activity sorting out cup semi finals and all that go with them. A long trip with work for a brief meeting on Wednesday was followed up with the second of our Sunday league semi finals.
One of the assistants dropped out at short notice and I stepped into the breach. it was just my luck that the game went to extra time on a freezing cold night but we got a winner. the second of the lower division semi finals is played next week and I'll be back to strictly collar and tie for that game.
Tomorrow I'm heading off to somewhere near Jcn 29 on the M1 for a Supply League assessment and Sunday sees me take in another promotion candidate. It's the third attempt at watching this referee, the two previous occasions being wiped out by the weather. Fingers crossed ...
The weekend saw me transporting furniture and junk around West Yorkshire and between home and my in-laws in Bedford. It was almost a relief to get back to work on Monday. Monday saw me visit David at home as he handed over the reins of the District FA to me. I'm acting as caretaker while he is away on holiday but this period covers a period of intense administrative activity sorting out cup semi finals and all that go with them. A long trip with work for a brief meeting on Wednesday was followed up with the second of our Sunday league semi finals.
One of the assistants dropped out at short notice and I stepped into the breach. it was just my luck that the game went to extra time on a freezing cold night but we got a winner. the second of the lower division semi finals is played next week and I'll be back to strictly collar and tie for that game.
Tomorrow I'm heading off to somewhere near Jcn 29 on the M1 for a Supply League assessment and Sunday sees me take in another promotion candidate. It's the third attempt at watching this referee, the two previous occasions being wiped out by the weather. Fingers crossed ...
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
An extra weeks rest
The local council have closed all their fields this weekend following heavy rain, with more forecast. So I lose my District Cup game and my Sunday League Division Three game, but I do get an extra 7 days to continue my recovery.
I had hoped to train at a local gym but they want £7 per session just for half an hour on the treadmill! So I might have to do a little road running to get myself ready for next weekend.
I had hoped to train at a local gym but they want £7 per session just for half an hour on the treadmill! So I might have to do a little road running to get myself ready for next weekend.
Monday, 16 November 2009
The Road to Recovery
Since having been unable to complete my District FA Sunday Cup game on October 25 my mood has swung between despair and hope over the last week. I had to give up another Supply League line on Saturday but was asked to hang on as long as possible before giving back the forthcoming weekend's District FA Cup game, I decided it was time to give the ankle a try out.
The only problem was that last Tuesday I developed some horrible symptoms which resembled those publicised by Health Professionals as being linked to H1N1 - Swine Flu! I had aches and pains in all four limbs, in my back as well as a splitting head ache with flashes of light and pain in my vision - I thought I was on my way out at around 3:18 a.m. on Thursday morning.
Having struggled to work all week and faced with an all system failure on Friday, I took remedial action, shut down my department and headed home. It all sounds amazingly assertive but in truth I had consulted my doctor, discussed the situation with my Regional Manager and Divisional Director and agreed a recovery plan for today, so things were under control.
The doctor diagnosed me as having a nasty virus and an ulcer in my throat, at the place where my right tonsil has been situated until it was removed in 1969. With the two conditions combined my immune system felt overwhelmed and his treatment was simple ... rest, painkillers and plenty of fluids. I was only too happy to oblige and slept most of the time between 2 p.m. on Friday through until 7 a.m. on Saturday.
And so to this evening ... as I pulled on my extra pair of socks for support, tied up my trainers and shoved my arms into the sleeves of my waterproof jacket I was a little nervous to say the least. If this went well I had my first game in 4 weeks lined up for Saturday; if it went badly then I was looking at being out at least until Christmas when I had a self imposed 2 weekend break through plans to spend time with my family.
As I stepped out, the rain began to fall, the wind seemed to sharpen up and the temperature felt like it dropped a couple of degrees. It was all my imagination as it had been like that most of the day. I walked past my wife's car and set off at a slow jog. I immediately felt a sharp tearing pain inside my right knee. All the inactivity has obviously given a few old war wounds the chance to come back to the surface, so I just gritted my teeth and upped the pace as I turned the corner at the end of the road.
The footpath slopes away gradually then taking a sharp dip before levelling out and then upwards, turning into a 1:10 hill. The sharp pain in my knee was easing (would have been a lot less if I had taken my own advice earlier and had some painkillers before setting off!), my feet seemed to be picking themselves up/setting themselves down and everything was good with the world. As I hit the base of the steep hill, I found I was wheezing and the damp leaves under my feet were making me slip (my trainers were still coated with mud from yesterday's assessing of another promotion candidate).
I decided to stop and stretch out my legs and was surprised to find that I had no niggly pains or aches, in fact despite this being the first time I had run in 3 weeks, I felt ok ... except for the wheezing! After a couple of lung clearing coughs (suffering from virus after effects) I turned around and started the run back home. As the path flattened out I lifted the pace, expecting something to go ping but nothing happened except I got out of breath and decided to walk the last 75m home.
So a short run, probably equivalent to a lap around a field and a bit more (certainly a lot hillier) and then the same distance home was enough to prove to me that I could manage Saturday's game. As I sit here typing, I have decided that it will be support bandage and double strength pain killers for Saturday as well as some decongestant to keep my lungs clear ... but I can already smell the turf, hear the player shouts, feel the whistle at my lips ... football!
The only problem was that last Tuesday I developed some horrible symptoms which resembled those publicised by Health Professionals as being linked to H1N1 - Swine Flu! I had aches and pains in all four limbs, in my back as well as a splitting head ache with flashes of light and pain in my vision - I thought I was on my way out at around 3:18 a.m. on Thursday morning.
Having struggled to work all week and faced with an all system failure on Friday, I took remedial action, shut down my department and headed home. It all sounds amazingly assertive but in truth I had consulted my doctor, discussed the situation with my Regional Manager and Divisional Director and agreed a recovery plan for today, so things were under control.
The doctor diagnosed me as having a nasty virus and an ulcer in my throat, at the place where my right tonsil has been situated until it was removed in 1969. With the two conditions combined my immune system felt overwhelmed and his treatment was simple ... rest, painkillers and plenty of fluids. I was only too happy to oblige and slept most of the time between 2 p.m. on Friday through until 7 a.m. on Saturday.
And so to this evening ... as I pulled on my extra pair of socks for support, tied up my trainers and shoved my arms into the sleeves of my waterproof jacket I was a little nervous to say the least. If this went well I had my first game in 4 weeks lined up for Saturday; if it went badly then I was looking at being out at least until Christmas when I had a self imposed 2 weekend break through plans to spend time with my family.
As I stepped out, the rain began to fall, the wind seemed to sharpen up and the temperature felt like it dropped a couple of degrees. It was all my imagination as it had been like that most of the day. I walked past my wife's car and set off at a slow jog. I immediately felt a sharp tearing pain inside my right knee. All the inactivity has obviously given a few old war wounds the chance to come back to the surface, so I just gritted my teeth and upped the pace as I turned the corner at the end of the road.
The footpath slopes away gradually then taking a sharp dip before levelling out and then upwards, turning into a 1:10 hill. The sharp pain in my knee was easing (would have been a lot less if I had taken my own advice earlier and had some painkillers before setting off!), my feet seemed to be picking themselves up/setting themselves down and everything was good with the world. As I hit the base of the steep hill, I found I was wheezing and the damp leaves under my feet were making me slip (my trainers were still coated with mud from yesterday's assessing of another promotion candidate).
I decided to stop and stretch out my legs and was surprised to find that I had no niggly pains or aches, in fact despite this being the first time I had run in 3 weeks, I felt ok ... except for the wheezing! After a couple of lung clearing coughs (suffering from virus after effects) I turned around and started the run back home. As the path flattened out I lifted the pace, expecting something to go ping but nothing happened except I got out of breath and decided to walk the last 75m home.
So a short run, probably equivalent to a lap around a field and a bit more (certainly a lot hillier) and then the same distance home was enough to prove to me that I could manage Saturday's game. As I sit here typing, I have decided that it will be support bandage and double strength pain killers for Saturday as well as some decongestant to keep my lungs clear ... but I can already smell the turf, hear the player shouts, feel the whistle at my lips ... football!
Friday, 13 November 2009
United States: 'Dirtiest' Woman Footballer Banned Indefinitely By Her College Team | World News | Sky News
A footballer in the US has been suspended indefinitely by her university team after one of the dirtiest performances ever by a female player.
Friday, 6 November 2009
TheFA.com - Former glories drive Grayson on
TheFA.com - Former glories drive Grayson on
Oldham Athletic v Leeds United
The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
First Round Proper
5.15pm, Saturday 7 November 2009
Live on TheFA.com
The legend that was The Don …
Sunday, 1 November 2009
Football free
Yesterday was my first football free Saturday that wasn't a closed date as I am still recovering from tweaking my Achilles last Sunday.
Having declared myself injured to my Saturday league, Sunday league, Supply league, District and County FA I offered my help with assessments for our local promotion candidates. I was allocated a game in Huddersfield and set off in time to arrive around 45 minutes before kick off.
The weather overnight and this morning was atrocious with strong winds and driving rain causing travel disruption through flooding. It also led directly to the game being called off by the referee and as I considered heading across the town to watch Fat lad, he phoned to say his game was also off.
I called in at the ground where I picked up my injury last week and found they had been able to play. I watched the referee, who is on his first season on our local Sunday league, for around 20 minutes and then headed home.
This afternoon I took my wife and son to see Disney/Pixar's Up. It was absolutely brilliant!
Having declared myself injured to my Saturday league, Sunday league, Supply league, District and County FA I offered my help with assessments for our local promotion candidates. I was allocated a game in Huddersfield and set off in time to arrive around 45 minutes before kick off.
The weather overnight and this morning was atrocious with strong winds and driving rain causing travel disruption through flooding. It also led directly to the game being called off by the referee and as I considered heading across the town to watch Fat lad, he phoned to say his game was also off.
I called in at the ground where I picked up my injury last week and found they had been able to play. I watched the referee, who is on his first season on our local Sunday league, for around 20 minutes and then headed home.
This afternoon I took my wife and son to see Disney/Pixar's Up. It was absolutely brilliant!
Sunday, 25 October 2009
Game 22
Timing is everything in comedy and it certainly seems that way with today's events.
I arrived early for a District Cup game which had been postponed from last week because the home team were involved in the Carlsberg FA Sunday Cup. The last time I refereed at this ground I had 11 cautions (maybe 10), 1 dismissal and a misconduct charge for spectator comments. It may have been the lowest point of my refereeing career.
Today I stepped out and spoke to both captains at the coin toss, letting them know that if I called them in to talk to a player, then I expected 100% support from them. Anything less would mean that I wouldn't call them in again. The game got underway and I exerted my authority in full letting things go, calling lost advantages back and thoroughly enjoying the contest between the 2nd place team in the Premier Division (home) against the leaders of Division One (away).
I only had a problem with one player and having spoken to him twice, he tried charging down a free kick awarded against him. Not surprisingly, I had no voices protesting his caution. We reached half time at 0-0 and I was pleased with my level of intervention.
The second half kicked off and I noticed that I had an ache in my right ankle. It was something that I had felt a few times in the last couple of months but I have always managed to run off. This time I noticed a definite change in the symptoms as the pain intensified when I tried to push off on a run, rather than maintain a pace.
After 10 minutes I chased a long ball into the away team penalty area and signalled the resulting corner kick. When the ball was played across the goal, the goalkeeper was impeded (with contact) and I awarded a free kick to the defending team. As I turned to run out to my wide position to observe the drop zone something clicked in my ankle and I couldn't put any weight at all on my foot.
I spoke to the goalkeeper to ask him to delay his free kick, signalled to the home team's technical area and limped to the touchline. I called both captains in and explained that I was unable to continue, they needed to agree a replacement referee and the replacement would have the full authority in relation to all aspects of managing the game.
So with a suitable replacement agreed, the game restarted. It was interesting to watch an untrained referee miss late challenges that a trailing eye would have picked up, ignore heavy challenges that should have warranted a free kick and miss completely a number of incidents involving head to head contact!
The away team took the lead shortly after the restart and the home team equalised soon afterwards. Despite a number of chances, neither team could score a winning goal, so the game went to extra time. In extra time, the away team went ahead again but the home team equalised so it was 2-2. Then just after the start of the second period of extra time, the home team scored what turned out to be the deciding goal.
It was, in truth, a cracking cup game with total commitment from both sides. I believe that my softly, softly approach in the period I looked after enhanced the game and the replacement referee, with all his omissions, added to the excitement.
So it looks like I will be out for a few weeks. As for the timing ... at tomorrow evening's RA meeting, our guest speaker is the physio for a local Unibond team and will be speaking on the subject of Sporting Injuries and their management!
I arrived early for a District Cup game which had been postponed from last week because the home team were involved in the Carlsberg FA Sunday Cup. The last time I refereed at this ground I had 11 cautions (maybe 10), 1 dismissal and a misconduct charge for spectator comments. It may have been the lowest point of my refereeing career.
Today I stepped out and spoke to both captains at the coin toss, letting them know that if I called them in to talk to a player, then I expected 100% support from them. Anything less would mean that I wouldn't call them in again. The game got underway and I exerted my authority in full letting things go, calling lost advantages back and thoroughly enjoying the contest between the 2nd place team in the Premier Division (home) against the leaders of Division One (away).
I only had a problem with one player and having spoken to him twice, he tried charging down a free kick awarded against him. Not surprisingly, I had no voices protesting his caution. We reached half time at 0-0 and I was pleased with my level of intervention.
The second half kicked off and I noticed that I had an ache in my right ankle. It was something that I had felt a few times in the last couple of months but I have always managed to run off. This time I noticed a definite change in the symptoms as the pain intensified when I tried to push off on a run, rather than maintain a pace.
After 10 minutes I chased a long ball into the away team penalty area and signalled the resulting corner kick. When the ball was played across the goal, the goalkeeper was impeded (with contact) and I awarded a free kick to the defending team. As I turned to run out to my wide position to observe the drop zone something clicked in my ankle and I couldn't put any weight at all on my foot.
I spoke to the goalkeeper to ask him to delay his free kick, signalled to the home team's technical area and limped to the touchline. I called both captains in and explained that I was unable to continue, they needed to agree a replacement referee and the replacement would have the full authority in relation to all aspects of managing the game.
So with a suitable replacement agreed, the game restarted. It was interesting to watch an untrained referee miss late challenges that a trailing eye would have picked up, ignore heavy challenges that should have warranted a free kick and miss completely a number of incidents involving head to head contact!
The away team took the lead shortly after the restart and the home team equalised soon afterwards. Despite a number of chances, neither team could score a winning goal, so the game went to extra time. In extra time, the away team went ahead again but the home team equalised so it was 2-2. Then just after the start of the second period of extra time, the home team scored what turned out to be the deciding goal.
It was, in truth, a cracking cup game with total commitment from both sides. I believe that my softly, softly approach in the period I looked after enhanced the game and the replacement referee, with all his omissions, added to the excitement.
So it looks like I will be out for a few weeks. As for the timing ... at tomorrow evening's RA meeting, our guest speaker is the physio for a local Unibond team and will be speaking on the subject of Sporting Injuries and their management!
Saturday, 24 October 2009
Game 21
I honestly can't remember enjoying refereeing a game as much as this one today. It seemed that the little changes I introduced made so much difference to the run of the game, player interaction and player behaviour.
I arrived early and met the secretary who was heading off with his 1st team to their game some 15 miles away, leaving me in the capable hands of his assistant. I was sharing a changing room with a rugby league referee, who I didn't get to meet before the game but had a brief chat with afterwards.
This was an unusual coincidence as I had actually spent two of my most memorable afternoons while playing rugby league at this shared venue more than 23 years ago. Another coincidence was that the away rugby team was the team that my son played rugby for around 7 years ago. On to today's game ...
The home team took kick off and within 90 seconds they had taken the lead from a sweeping move finished off by their lively forward. I had a choice on whether to issue a caution on a challenge after 10 minutes but chose to try to manage the situation. Even thought the challenge had taken place in front of the technical area, I got no complaint from either the players or the management.
The equaliser came a few minutes later and with the overcast sky beginning to pour down much needed rain, the surface began to cut up. This led to scrappy play, mistimed challenges and misplaced passes from both teams. The away team stole into the lead after a free kick was saved by the goalkeeper but his parry fell straight on to the boot of a forward who had followed the ball in and his volley went right into the middle of the goal.
The home team reacted strongly exerting pressure on the away goal, forcing a succession of corner kicks. On one of these kicks I stood at the far post, taking up a new viewing position. I couldn't have been better placed to adjudge that a powerful goalbound header hadn't crossed the goal line. The pressure eventually paid off as they scored with 5 minutes left in the first half and that took the scores to 2-2.
The second half started brightly, not just because the heavy driving rain had given way to bright sunshine and a strengthening breeze. Neither team was able to make much progress and the field was still cutting up. Another couple of players made challenges I chose to manage rather than caution and when I involved the captains in the dressing down I issued to the offenders, they seemed to support my stance.
After 20 minutes of the second half a high ball was played forward and none of the defending team dealt with the danger. A whipped cross saw the home centre forward challenge a defender and the goalkeeper for the ball and his header beat them both, re-establishing his team's lead. Both teams used their complement of substitutes and this understandably changed the whole pattern of the game.
The home team suddenly had more penetration, more scope and more opportunities but against the run of play, with only 3 minutes of normal time left, the away team carved an opportunity. The ball dropped to their midfield general, a player who I sent off around 4 years ago and he hit a curling drive which sneaked between the goalkeeper and the goalpost ... 3-3!
I still had 3 minutes of normal and 5 of added time to play and at first neither team seemed to want to press forward to score a winner, for fear of being exposed in defence and conceding a goal. Then a long ball forward was sent looping into the away team penalty area, the goalkeeper called to say he would collect the ball, but it evaded his flailing punch and dropped to an attacker behind him. The goalkeeper had come a long way to collect the ball as it flew through the air and passed at least two other defenders, so there was no question of offside.
The whole field seemed to stand still for a split second and the attacker then played the ball up into the roof of the net. The goalkeeper was inconsolable as his team had lost through his error. I checked my watch and saw I still had 1 minute of added time to play. Despite their best efforts, the away team couldn't find an opening and the game finished 4-3. I had a lot of handshakes immediately after the final whistle. One of those who came to see me was the away team goalkeeper and I offered a few words of consolation but I could tell he was bitterly upset.
Just before I left the clubhouse a hand tapped me on the shoulder. It was the goalkeeper now looking slightly less distraught. He shook my hand with a wry smile, thanked me for my participation and wished me well. I was touched.
Calories 1723, average hr 80%, max 94%
I arrived early and met the secretary who was heading off with his 1st team to their game some 15 miles away, leaving me in the capable hands of his assistant. I was sharing a changing room with a rugby league referee, who I didn't get to meet before the game but had a brief chat with afterwards.
This was an unusual coincidence as I had actually spent two of my most memorable afternoons while playing rugby league at this shared venue more than 23 years ago. Another coincidence was that the away rugby team was the team that my son played rugby for around 7 years ago. On to today's game ...
The home team took kick off and within 90 seconds they had taken the lead from a sweeping move finished off by their lively forward. I had a choice on whether to issue a caution on a challenge after 10 minutes but chose to try to manage the situation. Even thought the challenge had taken place in front of the technical area, I got no complaint from either the players or the management.
The equaliser came a few minutes later and with the overcast sky beginning to pour down much needed rain, the surface began to cut up. This led to scrappy play, mistimed challenges and misplaced passes from both teams. The away team stole into the lead after a free kick was saved by the goalkeeper but his parry fell straight on to the boot of a forward who had followed the ball in and his volley went right into the middle of the goal.
The home team reacted strongly exerting pressure on the away goal, forcing a succession of corner kicks. On one of these kicks I stood at the far post, taking up a new viewing position. I couldn't have been better placed to adjudge that a powerful goalbound header hadn't crossed the goal line. The pressure eventually paid off as they scored with 5 minutes left in the first half and that took the scores to 2-2.
The second half started brightly, not just because the heavy driving rain had given way to bright sunshine and a strengthening breeze. Neither team was able to make much progress and the field was still cutting up. Another couple of players made challenges I chose to manage rather than caution and when I involved the captains in the dressing down I issued to the offenders, they seemed to support my stance.
After 20 minutes of the second half a high ball was played forward and none of the defending team dealt with the danger. A whipped cross saw the home centre forward challenge a defender and the goalkeeper for the ball and his header beat them both, re-establishing his team's lead. Both teams used their complement of substitutes and this understandably changed the whole pattern of the game.
The home team suddenly had more penetration, more scope and more opportunities but against the run of play, with only 3 minutes of normal time left, the away team carved an opportunity. The ball dropped to their midfield general, a player who I sent off around 4 years ago and he hit a curling drive which sneaked between the goalkeeper and the goalpost ... 3-3!
I still had 3 minutes of normal and 5 of added time to play and at first neither team seemed to want to press forward to score a winner, for fear of being exposed in defence and conceding a goal. Then a long ball forward was sent looping into the away team penalty area, the goalkeeper called to say he would collect the ball, but it evaded his flailing punch and dropped to an attacker behind him. The goalkeeper had come a long way to collect the ball as it flew through the air and passed at least two other defenders, so there was no question of offside.
The whole field seemed to stand still for a split second and the attacker then played the ball up into the roof of the net. The goalkeeper was inconsolable as his team had lost through his error. I checked my watch and saw I still had 1 minute of added time to play. Despite their best efforts, the away team couldn't find an opening and the game finished 4-3. I had a lot of handshakes immediately after the final whistle. One of those who came to see me was the away team goalkeeper and I offered a few words of consolation but I could tell he was bitterly upset.
Just before I left the clubhouse a hand tapped me on the shoulder. It was the goalkeeper now looking slightly less distraught. He shook my hand with a wry smile, thanked me for my participation and wished me well. I was touched.
Calories 1723, average hr 80%, max 94%
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
Arghhh!
I clicked on the e-mail from The FA and even before I opened it, I knew what it was going to say ... I had been appointed as an Assistant Referee for the FA Sunday Cup!
The downside was that I had been appointed on a date I had already closed as I was travelling to a friend's wedding the day before and I wouldn't be home until 6 hours after kick off. It was all due to an administrative error and while I was disappointed, all I could do was write it off to experience.
I was also planning to be looking after a game tonight however that also fell by the wayside for another reason. Fortunately I have a game tomorrow night to keep me occupied with Johnno on one line and Fat Lad on the other. Johnno was a late replacement for Pete who has a work commitment. Fat Lad says he's really given backword because I threatened to make him run left wings.
That's not something I could do because with limited experience (20 games in over 300 as referee) with neutral assistants, I'd be looking for a flag in the wrong place! So it's down to County HQ tomorrow night for the 7 p.m. kick off.
The downside was that I had been appointed on a date I had already closed as I was travelling to a friend's wedding the day before and I wouldn't be home until 6 hours after kick off. It was all due to an administrative error and while I was disappointed, all I could do was write it off to experience.
I was also planning to be looking after a game tonight however that also fell by the wayside for another reason. Fortunately I have a game tomorrow night to keep me occupied with Johnno on one line and Fat Lad on the other. Johnno was a late replacement for Pete who has a work commitment. Fat Lad says he's really given backword because I threatened to make him run left wings.
That's not something I could do because with limited experience (20 games in over 300 as referee) with neutral assistants, I'd be looking for a flag in the wrong place! So it's down to County HQ tomorrow night for the 7 p.m. kick off.
Sunday, 4 October 2009
Game 18
I woke up early and felt every single muscle in my legs complain as I climbed into a warm bath after breakfast consisting of 2 weetabix and 4 slices of wholemeal bread toasted. My whole lower body is feeling the pace because of the constant jarring as I run on the ground which is harder than it usually is at this time of year.
Despite losing a considerable amount of weight in the last year, the battering my hamstrings, calves, pelvis and feet have taken has been unprecedented and has contributed to a decision I made after this morning's game. I am taking a break from all training for a couple of weeks. I have a game on Wednesday, another on Thursday, another on Saturday and finally another on Sunday which will take my number for the season to 26 including my non-competitive games. It took me 3 weeks longer to get to that number last season and 6 weeks the previous season.
I am hoping that the break from training and the break from games in two weeks when we attend a friend's wedding, will allow me to mentally and physically recuperate. The mental side is just a break from the routine of training, meeting, training, instructing, training, game and another game I have been running through for the last two months. With the prospect of no breaks from work until Christmas, the wedding couldn't have been better timed.
I've just booked another break when buying some tickets for Glastonbury 2010. Having not attended the Leeds Festival this year, I was beginning to suffer from canvas withdrawal symptoms! In June next year I will have 5 days in a tent at the 40th anniversary Glasto!
So to today's game which was in the County Sunday Cup. The secretary had struggled to get directions to me as her map wouldn't copy into an e-mail and her letter had gotten lost in the post. I phoned and asked for directions and was given the name of a pub local to the ground. What she failed to tell me was that I was actually going to be changing at Bradford Park Avenue and the game was on a field backing on to their stadium!
The field was freshly cut but the mower had chopped up quite a few drinks cans and bottles, leaving the surface dangerous for the players. I spent a good 15-20 minutes picking up pieces of debris and the home manager made a wry comment about my hard work before kick off. As for kick off, we had to have two attempts as the ball was played backwards on the first attempt.
The home team seemed to settle slowly and the away team pressed them hard which was surprising bearing in mind their current progress in their relative leagues. Suddenly within a 15 minute period, the home team had struck three times to establish a solid lead. Frustration got the better of the away team right back and he made a reckless challenge, jumping into the tackle and collecting the game's first caution. He argued his case and I was grateful for his captain's unsolicited intervention who helped to calm him.
Within a minute, the home team's right midfielder made an almost identical challenge and showed no surprise when he collected the game's second and final caution. His manager wasn't as understanding until I spoke loudly to the player, explaining that his challenge had been identical to the previous one which was cautioned. He then, a little reluctantly, acknowledged that I was demonstrating the one thing that many club officials demand ... consistency.
I had three more incidents of note. The first two came when I awarded goal kicks to the home team and the away team claimed they had deserved a corner. The third was when I was convinced a corner had been conceded by the away team and signalled the same. The players however turned around and set up for a goal kick. It reminded me of the need to wait and see instead of firing from the hip. I'm not convinced I could have worked harder as I was already inside the penalty area for all three incidents.
With little more to talk about in the first half I went to take my drink, which I'd left by the away team's club officials. While there I heard a female spectator complain that the home team were getting a lot of help and she made a stage nod towards me ... gave me a chuckle.
The home team were slow out of the blocks again and then they struck twice more, the second of which was a double deflection own goal. With the game completely beyond their grasp at 5-0 some teams would have wilted, but the away team put up a spirited fight but conceded another 2 goals. I found the pace of the game was slowing but with no training this week, I kept pushing myself to get into corners, penalty areas and to chase down through balls so I could be convincing when awarding goal kicks or corner kicks. At the final whistle, with weary limbs, I accepted the thanks from both teams and hobbled off to the shower. Calories 1366, max hr 89%, average 73%.
This is my 6th straight game which I have really enjoyed. It balances out the difficult game I had before this run.
Despite losing a considerable amount of weight in the last year, the battering my hamstrings, calves, pelvis and feet have taken has been unprecedented and has contributed to a decision I made after this morning's game. I am taking a break from all training for a couple of weeks. I have a game on Wednesday, another on Thursday, another on Saturday and finally another on Sunday which will take my number for the season to 26 including my non-competitive games. It took me 3 weeks longer to get to that number last season and 6 weeks the previous season.
I am hoping that the break from training and the break from games in two weeks when we attend a friend's wedding, will allow me to mentally and physically recuperate. The mental side is just a break from the routine of training, meeting, training, instructing, training, game and another game I have been running through for the last two months. With the prospect of no breaks from work until Christmas, the wedding couldn't have been better timed.
I've just booked another break when buying some tickets for Glastonbury 2010. Having not attended the Leeds Festival this year, I was beginning to suffer from canvas withdrawal symptoms! In June next year I will have 5 days in a tent at the 40th anniversary Glasto!
So to today's game which was in the County Sunday Cup. The secretary had struggled to get directions to me as her map wouldn't copy into an e-mail and her letter had gotten lost in the post. I phoned and asked for directions and was given the name of a pub local to the ground. What she failed to tell me was that I was actually going to be changing at Bradford Park Avenue and the game was on a field backing on to their stadium!
The field was freshly cut but the mower had chopped up quite a few drinks cans and bottles, leaving the surface dangerous for the players. I spent a good 15-20 minutes picking up pieces of debris and the home manager made a wry comment about my hard work before kick off. As for kick off, we had to have two attempts as the ball was played backwards on the first attempt.
The home team seemed to settle slowly and the away team pressed them hard which was surprising bearing in mind their current progress in their relative leagues. Suddenly within a 15 minute period, the home team had struck three times to establish a solid lead. Frustration got the better of the away team right back and he made a reckless challenge, jumping into the tackle and collecting the game's first caution. He argued his case and I was grateful for his captain's unsolicited intervention who helped to calm him.
Within a minute, the home team's right midfielder made an almost identical challenge and showed no surprise when he collected the game's second and final caution. His manager wasn't as understanding until I spoke loudly to the player, explaining that his challenge had been identical to the previous one which was cautioned. He then, a little reluctantly, acknowledged that I was demonstrating the one thing that many club officials demand ... consistency.
I had three more incidents of note. The first two came when I awarded goal kicks to the home team and the away team claimed they had deserved a corner. The third was when I was convinced a corner had been conceded by the away team and signalled the same. The players however turned around and set up for a goal kick. It reminded me of the need to wait and see instead of firing from the hip. I'm not convinced I could have worked harder as I was already inside the penalty area for all three incidents.
With little more to talk about in the first half I went to take my drink, which I'd left by the away team's club officials. While there I heard a female spectator complain that the home team were getting a lot of help and she made a stage nod towards me ... gave me a chuckle.
The home team were slow out of the blocks again and then they struck twice more, the second of which was a double deflection own goal. With the game completely beyond their grasp at 5-0 some teams would have wilted, but the away team put up a spirited fight but conceded another 2 goals. I found the pace of the game was slowing but with no training this week, I kept pushing myself to get into corners, penalty areas and to chase down through balls so I could be convincing when awarding goal kicks or corner kicks. At the final whistle, with weary limbs, I accepted the thanks from both teams and hobbled off to the shower. Calories 1366, max hr 89%, average 73%.
This is my 6th straight game which I have really enjoyed. It balances out the difficult game I had before this run.
Saturday, 3 October 2009
Game 17
Picking myself up from the disappointment of last night wasn't too hard and I set off early for my trip to Halifax for the 1st round of the County FA Challenge Cup.
I had refereed at the same ground in the 2nd round last season and remember being very dissatisfied with my performance (reading back on the match report I had suffered from a virus during the week before the game). The clubs must have felt the same and that, coupled with my match report disappearing into the e-mail system probably contributed to my not being appointed to any further games from the County FA during the rest of the season.
I was determined not to make the same mistakes again and despite the foul weather I arrived in good time, got ready and headed out for an elongated warm-up. I noted the surface was greasy, wet and covered in freshly mown grass - surely a fast game was in prospect. Well the weather had other ideas and the strong wind seemed to constantly change direction making it difficult for the players (and me!) to read play.
Eventually the home team scored and went 3-0 up with only 30 minutes played. I had also disallowed a goal for offside and the away team, already struggling without any substitutes were suffering from a few knocks. One of these "knocks" came from a foul challenge and when I pulled the player out for a chat, he must have expected a caution. Instead I decided to exercise some "management" in my match control and it worked. I had two or three more similar situations in the game and all turned out well for me.
The away team scored what turned out to be their only goal to make it 3-1 at half time. The level of respect and response form both teams was absolutely unparalleled in any of the previous 350 or so games I had previously been involved in. Shortly after the start of the second half I awarded the most obvious kick from the penalty mark ever as two defenders made two of those ridiculous 5 a side sweeping reverse challenges.
I then had to deal with something which has only happened twice in 10 years of refereeing. The away team had a goal kick and it was played out towards the corner of the penalty area. As an attacker ran towards the ball, a defender also ran towards it, into the penalty area and then turned to kick the ball upfield ... it hadn't left the penalty area directly and therefore wasn't in play. It was time for a re-take.
The home team added another 4 goals without reply after that and the final scored was 8-1. In between times I had to manage a player who believed he had been the subject of a "two footed challenge", another who had wrecked his knee in the first half in making a brave challenge and the acrobatics of the home goalkeeper.
Back at their pub, I was happy to get some warm food inside me and then head on home.
Calories 1344, max hr 87%, average 71%
I had refereed at the same ground in the 2nd round last season and remember being very dissatisfied with my performance (reading back on the match report I had suffered from a virus during the week before the game). The clubs must have felt the same and that, coupled with my match report disappearing into the e-mail system probably contributed to my not being appointed to any further games from the County FA during the rest of the season.
I was determined not to make the same mistakes again and despite the foul weather I arrived in good time, got ready and headed out for an elongated warm-up. I noted the surface was greasy, wet and covered in freshly mown grass - surely a fast game was in prospect. Well the weather had other ideas and the strong wind seemed to constantly change direction making it difficult for the players (and me!) to read play.
Eventually the home team scored and went 3-0 up with only 30 minutes played. I had also disallowed a goal for offside and the away team, already struggling without any substitutes were suffering from a few knocks. One of these "knocks" came from a foul challenge and when I pulled the player out for a chat, he must have expected a caution. Instead I decided to exercise some "management" in my match control and it worked. I had two or three more similar situations in the game and all turned out well for me.
The away team scored what turned out to be their only goal to make it 3-1 at half time. The level of respect and response form both teams was absolutely unparalleled in any of the previous 350 or so games I had previously been involved in. Shortly after the start of the second half I awarded the most obvious kick from the penalty mark ever as two defenders made two of those ridiculous 5 a side sweeping reverse challenges.
I then had to deal with something which has only happened twice in 10 years of refereeing. The away team had a goal kick and it was played out towards the corner of the penalty area. As an attacker ran towards the ball, a defender also ran towards it, into the penalty area and then turned to kick the ball upfield ... it hadn't left the penalty area directly and therefore wasn't in play. It was time for a re-take.
The home team added another 4 goals without reply after that and the final scored was 8-1. In between times I had to manage a player who believed he had been the subject of a "two footed challenge", another who had wrecked his knee in the first half in making a brave challenge and the acrobatics of the home goalkeeper.
Back at their pub, I was happy to get some warm food inside me and then head on home.
Calories 1344, max hr 87%, average 71%
Sunday, 27 September 2009
Game 16
Just before I left the house I got a phone call from David asking me if I was still coming to the game and when I said yes, he asked me to bring a kit ... alarm bells started ringing.
On arriving at the ground I got the full story ... Danny (the referee) had been robbed earlier that day and was unable to fulfil the fixture and he had been picking up one of the assistants, so all we had left was one of the assistant referees. The decision was made to promote him to referee and I, along with his dad, another senior level 5 referee, would be his assistants.
Shortly before kick off there was uproar in the away team's dressing room as they found all their valuables had been stolen! Despite their upset, the team came out and gave a good account of themselves taking a 2-1 lead by half time, one of which was almost a carbon copy of Steven Gerrard's goal against Hull City the previous day (cross cum shot from left hand touchline dropping in past a despairing goalkeeper).
The home team came out strongly in the second half and scored three times without reply making the score 4-2. The away team seemed to have blown all their early energy and despite 3 substitutions, they couldn't turn the game around and the score remained unchanged. Meanwhile I was working on my development point from Saturday in between hobbling up and down the touchline on the hard ground.
The referee did a good job as did his dad and I must have been ok as I only got a little bit of ribbing from friends and colleagues at the game. I am however very, very sore and thinks tomorrow's planned recovery session has gone out the window. Calories 1305, max hr 87%, average 70%
On arriving at the ground I got the full story ... Danny (the referee) had been robbed earlier that day and was unable to fulfil the fixture and he had been picking up one of the assistants, so all we had left was one of the assistant referees. The decision was made to promote him to referee and I, along with his dad, another senior level 5 referee, would be his assistants.
Shortly before kick off there was uproar in the away team's dressing room as they found all their valuables had been stolen! Despite their upset, the team came out and gave a good account of themselves taking a 2-1 lead by half time, one of which was almost a carbon copy of Steven Gerrard's goal against Hull City the previous day (cross cum shot from left hand touchline dropping in past a despairing goalkeeper).
The home team came out strongly in the second half and scored three times without reply making the score 4-2. The away team seemed to have blown all their early energy and despite 3 substitutions, they couldn't turn the game around and the score remained unchanged. Meanwhile I was working on my development point from Saturday in between hobbling up and down the touchline on the hard ground.
The referee did a good job as did his dad and I must have been ok as I only got a little bit of ribbing from friends and colleagues at the game. I am however very, very sore and thinks tomorrow's planned recovery session has gone out the window. Calories 1305, max hr 87%, average 70%
Game 15
Following on from yesterday's enjoyable game, it was a pleasant surprise to have another this morning in the Sunday League Cup clash between a Premier Division team and a Division 2 team.
I had some issues with both clubs over the last couple of seasons, with the home coach calling me a cheat the last time I was at this venue and I pulled my hamstring disrupting the end of my 2007-08 season the last time I saw the away team. This time, things couldn't have been more different. Despite having run myself close to exhaustion on Saturday I ran everywhere in this game.
It only took the home team a few minutes to open the scoring and they added another seven goals without reply before the final whistle. In between times I had to caution three players and dismiss one when he received his second caution.
When he received the second caution, his captain fully supported my action and acknowledged the player had left me no choice. The opposing captain had also helped me out with his player who had been cautioned and suddenly it seemed that everyone was operating within the Respect programme guidelines. One player spoilt it with an unnecessary comment and I decided to give him the hairdryer treatment and his captain again supported me ... it was like I was dreaming!!!
The game finished and after some excellent food back at the home team's pub I made my way home expecting to go watch a friend referee a Minor FA Cup game later in the afternoon. I popped a clean kit in the back of the car just in case ...
Calories 1308, max hr 88%, average 70% - I did run hard, honestly I did.
I had some issues with both clubs over the last couple of seasons, with the home coach calling me a cheat the last time I was at this venue and I pulled my hamstring disrupting the end of my 2007-08 season the last time I saw the away team. This time, things couldn't have been more different. Despite having run myself close to exhaustion on Saturday I ran everywhere in this game.
It only took the home team a few minutes to open the scoring and they added another seven goals without reply before the final whistle. In between times I had to caution three players and dismiss one when he received his second caution.
When he received the second caution, his captain fully supported my action and acknowledged the player had left me no choice. The opposing captain had also helped me out with his player who had been cautioned and suddenly it seemed that everyone was operating within the Respect programme guidelines. One player spoilt it with an unnecessary comment and I decided to give him the hairdryer treatment and his captain again supported me ... it was like I was dreaming!!!
The game finished and after some excellent food back at the home team's pub I made my way home expecting to go watch a friend referee a Minor FA Cup game later in the afternoon. I popped a clean kit in the back of the car just in case ...
Calories 1308, max hr 88%, average 70% - I did run hard, honestly I did.
Sunday, 20 September 2009
Game 13
I really enjoyed this morning's game and it reflected the good start to the day when I weighed in at around 15st (95Kg).I haven't weighed that much since finishing playing rugby back in 1986!
The night had finished late (around 3:30 a.m.) as my wife came home from a night out with her friends and her tales of the night out and demands for drinks of water broke up whatever sleep time I had remaining. I still was pretty refreshed on leaving the house around 9:30. I had planned to go to the ground changed into my kit but decided to go suited and booted which turned out to be a good choice. My phone rang a few minutes after setting off and I was old that the game venue had been switched!
The game kicked off on time, despite the home manager's worry that he wouldn't have enough players to put the nets up. The game was played at a high tempo throughout the early stages even though it was quite warm and it was no surprise when players began grabbing drinks from the touchline.
The home team had the upper hand in the early exchanges and their 10th minute goal seemed like just reward for their efforts. When they added a second after 20 minutes, the away team seemed deflated and took almost until half time to strike back and reduced the deficit to 2-1.
The second half was only a few minutes old when we had a quick exchange of goals. Firstly the away team drew level after I played yet another good advantage. That os four this season which have resulted in a goal within 2-3 passes of my call. Then with the first true flash of brilliance, the home team re-established their lead. A free kick was awarded to the home team 22 yards out in a central position. The ball was lifted over the wall, on to the left hand post and from there it bobbled into the goal. Frustration got the better of one away player and he collected the game's first caution only a minute later.
The game was compressed and I had a number of calls for offside which I didn't give. This led to some frustrated shouts from the players and a few nervous glances across back lines as well. The game was finely poised with a little under 10 minutes left to play when a defender under pressure played the ball through to an attacker in an offside position. I had no question of calling him offside as the defender clearly kicked the ball to him. He drew the defenders around him, chose his spot and slotted the ball into the goal.
Now if he had left it at that, then I would have come away from this game without a single complaint BUT ... he turned his shirt over his head (LotG mandatory caution) and when I cautioned him, I got non-stop "rubbish" from the home captain. Fortunately we finished soon afterwards with the home team winning 4-2.
Calories 1471, max hr 90%, average 75%.
I went to watch Fat Lad in the afternoon on the FAWPL Northern Division and he gave some good support to the referee ... apart from dropping his flag when changing hands one time (lol!)
The night had finished late (around 3:30 a.m.) as my wife came home from a night out with her friends and her tales of the night out and demands for drinks of water broke up whatever sleep time I had remaining. I still was pretty refreshed on leaving the house around 9:30. I had planned to go to the ground changed into my kit but decided to go suited and booted which turned out to be a good choice. My phone rang a few minutes after setting off and I was old that the game venue had been switched!
The game kicked off on time, despite the home manager's worry that he wouldn't have enough players to put the nets up. The game was played at a high tempo throughout the early stages even though it was quite warm and it was no surprise when players began grabbing drinks from the touchline.
The home team had the upper hand in the early exchanges and their 10th minute goal seemed like just reward for their efforts. When they added a second after 20 minutes, the away team seemed deflated and took almost until half time to strike back and reduced the deficit to 2-1.
The second half was only a few minutes old when we had a quick exchange of goals. Firstly the away team drew level after I played yet another good advantage. That os four this season which have resulted in a goal within 2-3 passes of my call. Then with the first true flash of brilliance, the home team re-established their lead. A free kick was awarded to the home team 22 yards out in a central position. The ball was lifted over the wall, on to the left hand post and from there it bobbled into the goal. Frustration got the better of one away player and he collected the game's first caution only a minute later.
The game was compressed and I had a number of calls for offside which I didn't give. This led to some frustrated shouts from the players and a few nervous glances across back lines as well. The game was finely poised with a little under 10 minutes left to play when a defender under pressure played the ball through to an attacker in an offside position. I had no question of calling him offside as the defender clearly kicked the ball to him. He drew the defenders around him, chose his spot and slotted the ball into the goal.
Now if he had left it at that, then I would have come away from this game without a single complaint BUT ... he turned his shirt over his head (LotG mandatory caution) and when I cautioned him, I got non-stop "rubbish" from the home captain. Fortunately we finished soon afterwards with the home team winning 4-2.
Calories 1471, max hr 90%, average 75%.
I went to watch Fat Lad in the afternoon on the FAWPL Northern Division and he gave some good support to the referee ... apart from dropping his flag when changing hands one time (lol!)
Saturday, 19 September 2009
Game 12
Thank you Mr G. Your example of taking a free kick without waiting, as instructed, for the referee's whistle has obviously filtered down. A player today was asked to wait for my whistle as I marked out the required distance, he didn't and was surprised to receive the game's first and only caution.
This game was a poor advertisement for football in the first round of the District Cup. It was partly my fault as I was offered an under inflated ball before the game and asked for it (and the spare ball) to be pumped up. The ground was dry and hard, so when the teams started playing long balls out of defence, it was pinging around like a table tennis ball.
One early such ball saw a young attacker pushed as he lined up his shot on goal. He was just inside the penalty area and we had my first intervention of the game after just 5 minutes. His goal was added to a few minutes later and with the home team going 3-0 before the end of the first half, the game was over as a contest.
The skill levels in the second half didn't improve but the away team did. They won the second half 3-2 but lost 5-3 overall. Two of their goals had a touch of the bizarre about them and the third was a brilliantly executed set piece.
The first came as I blew for a free kick in the middle third of the field. The ball however had bounced past the home team's left back and into the path of the away team's Polish forward. I had missed the opportunity to play advantage! The free kick however was lifted into the penalty area and powered home from around 12 yards.
The second bizarre goal came from the head of the Polish forward who headed the ball across goal from the goal line. The ball looped over the goal keeper and bounced over the goal line, into the goal and then spun back out again. Fortunately I was well placed, blew my whistle and told the players a goal had been scored. Funnily enough a similar incident at the other end saw me award a free kick to the defence for a foul on the goalkeeper. The signal was similar but the outcome very different.
Calories 1342, hr max 86%, average 71% ... almost like a recovery session.
This game was a poor advertisement for football in the first round of the District Cup. It was partly my fault as I was offered an under inflated ball before the game and asked for it (and the spare ball) to be pumped up. The ground was dry and hard, so when the teams started playing long balls out of defence, it was pinging around like a table tennis ball.
One early such ball saw a young attacker pushed as he lined up his shot on goal. He was just inside the penalty area and we had my first intervention of the game after just 5 minutes. His goal was added to a few minutes later and with the home team going 3-0 before the end of the first half, the game was over as a contest.
The skill levels in the second half didn't improve but the away team did. They won the second half 3-2 but lost 5-3 overall. Two of their goals had a touch of the bizarre about them and the third was a brilliantly executed set piece.
The first came as I blew for a free kick in the middle third of the field. The ball however had bounced past the home team's left back and into the path of the away team's Polish forward. I had missed the opportunity to play advantage! The free kick however was lifted into the penalty area and powered home from around 12 yards.
The second bizarre goal came from the head of the Polish forward who headed the ball across goal from the goal line. The ball looped over the goal keeper and bounced over the goal line, into the goal and then spun back out again. Fortunately I was well placed, blew my whistle and told the players a goal had been scored. Funnily enough a similar incident at the other end saw me award a free kick to the defence for a foul on the goalkeeper. The signal was similar but the outcome very different.
Calories 1342, hr max 86%, average 71% ... almost like a recovery session.
Sunday, 17 May 2009
Game 75
After Tuesday's game from hell the last thing I needed was to see one of those teams any time soon. Unfortunately for me the "away" team were one of the teams playing in this morning's Sunday League Cup Final.
The second last thing I needed was the players/supporters of the home team from last Tuesday, behind me and giving me gip. Again, unfortunately for me, that's what I faced this morning. My reaction was to laugh everything off. I laughed at the suggestions that I drank in the 2nd named team's pub (thanks Elliott) and the constant commentary on every decision I chose to make or indeed chose not to make.
So to the game ... well it didn't take long for Gary the referee to make his mark and he maintained the same standard throughout the game. He used a high degree of control without strangling the game as I had on Tuesday. He never issued a single card but I suspect he may have done had this been a league game.
The "home" team scored with a fantastic lob from the club Secretary and added a second with a slightly deflected shot just before half time. At half time, Gary told us to raise our game in case the "away" team decided to try to kick their way back into the game. When the "home" team added a third goal 5 minutes into the 2nd half the game was slipping away from the "away" team and their reaction said a lot about their discipline, just as it had on Tuesday.
The game continued on with a 4th goal and a consolation being added late but little real resistance being offered. Special mention must be made of Bernie's ballboy act close to the end of the game, Kappy's air shot and Gary's exhausted request to completed a substitution from the corner flag.
In the end I had a great morning, spending most of my time knowing that my experience would not allow me to f*ck up and that I couldn't let Gary down. We finished at 4-1, no cautions (but there could have been a few) and a more than 1360 calories burned. Av hr 76%, max around 96%.
Season over, job done, time for a rest.
I'm taking 2 weeks off, then back in training, only to be interrupted by a 2 week holiday in Crete, when I will run to keep the momentum going. After that, it's solid training until the annual International Youth Tournament I have helped with for the last 6 seasons.
Thanks to everyone who has supported me, cajoled me and castigated me this season. I am a better referee for it.
The second last thing I needed was the players/supporters of the home team from last Tuesday, behind me and giving me gip. Again, unfortunately for me, that's what I faced this morning. My reaction was to laugh everything off. I laughed at the suggestions that I drank in the 2nd named team's pub (thanks Elliott) and the constant commentary on every decision I chose to make or indeed chose not to make.
So to the game ... well it didn't take long for Gary the referee to make his mark and he maintained the same standard throughout the game. He used a high degree of control without strangling the game as I had on Tuesday. He never issued a single card but I suspect he may have done had this been a league game.
The "home" team scored with a fantastic lob from the club Secretary and added a second with a slightly deflected shot just before half time. At half time, Gary told us to raise our game in case the "away" team decided to try to kick their way back into the game. When the "home" team added a third goal 5 minutes into the 2nd half the game was slipping away from the "away" team and their reaction said a lot about their discipline, just as it had on Tuesday.
The game continued on with a 4th goal and a consolation being added late but little real resistance being offered. Special mention must be made of Bernie's ballboy act close to the end of the game, Kappy's air shot and Gary's exhausted request to completed a substitution from the corner flag.
In the end I had a great morning, spending most of my time knowing that my experience would not allow me to f*ck up and that I couldn't let Gary down. We finished at 4-1, no cautions (but there could have been a few) and a more than 1360 calories burned. Av hr 76%, max around 96%.
Season over, job done, time for a rest.
I'm taking 2 weeks off, then back in training, only to be interrupted by a 2 week holiday in Crete, when I will run to keep the momentum going. After that, it's solid training until the annual International Youth Tournament I have helped with for the last 6 seasons.
Thanks to everyone who has supported me, cajoled me and castigated me this season. I am a better referee for it.
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