Call me stupid and I'm sure you will

Being a "retired" referee has never sat too well with me and for a long time I felt I still had something to offer out on the green stuff.

I get a lot of satisfaction from my work as a Referee Tutor working on behalf of The FA, converting players, coaches and volunteers into qualified referees in the hope that they will enjoy the "dark" side of football as much as I did. I also take a lot of professional pride in the reports I write after each time I have been out to assess a referee. I'm hoping that they take something of value out of the reports and it helps their game. I value the friends I've made through refereeing, some have reached the dizzy heights of the professional game in England and appear on my TV screen almost every Saturday night, while others are happy to stay in junior football or pub football on Sunday mornings.

Unfortunately neither the tutoring nor assessing make up for the "rush" of being out in the middle of a field when a game is going on around you. I miss the banter, the decision making and dare I say it, the dissent. Regular readers will know I began training in the summer and progress was slow after nearly a year out. It was slow because I was worried about picking up an injury which would ruin my holiday, rather than before when I refereed, where I was worried I would miss a game. That game missed might be the one that got me noticed, got me a Cup Semi Final or even a Final, that game just became too important.

Coupled with my aspirations at the time to pass the fitness test and have a crack at football at a higher level, I was pushing myself too hard for a person who has a heart condition, numerous injuries in the past from which I never recovered properly and also for my weight (more than 110KG)/age (48). So how to address this itch that couldn't be scratched without causing lasting damage?

Well the first step was to re-register with my County FA as an active referee. As I had only let my registration lapse at the end of 2009-10 I retained my level 5 and didn't have to attend any kind of examination. How embarrassing it would have been to do that and fail??? I completed my registration over the 'phone yesterday lunch time and then phoned the Appointments Secretary of the local Sunday League. He had no games ... disaster, the comeback was on hold!

The 'phone rang again three hours later and he had received a backword for a game less than 2 miles from my home ... did I want it? The thoughts of breaking down during the game, making bad decisions, being assaulted (verbally and physically) by players all went through my head before I said ... yes. So the comeback is on, tomorrow (Sunday) morning I will referee my first game since refereeing in my jeans when I went to watch one week and the referee hadn't turned up. I'm sure it has the potential to be a mistake on so many levels, but I need to scratch that itch.

Match report to follow ...

(Another) Busy Week

The second day of the Basic Course for Referees passed relatively quietly and we had 26 new trainees (level 9) at the end of the course. I made my way home and was then swamped with presents and cards for my birthday, with a couple of my older children calling in to see me.

Monday night saw me working away on my reports from Saturday's game as well as celebrating my 6th wedding anniversary. The reports were relatively easy to write and it was a reasonably early night.

Tuesday was d-day for the committee of my local Sunday League. We've been using The FA's Full Time service to record fixtures, results and suspensions for 2 seasons now and we wanted to make more use of the other services. This includes recording match facts such as appearances and goals scored as well as the comprehensive fixtures scheduling service.

With all the known constraints, such as fields being used for cricket, loaded in, I ran the fixtures and showed them to the committee. They liked the system and decided to run with it on a permanent basis. So my role as Match Day Administrator has been expanded to include the management of fixtures. It's not too daunting and I've made some good progress already.

Wednesday saw me travel to the Horsfall Stadium to watch a fellow member of my local RA in action. It was an interesting game and the report took me some time to complete on Thursday as I sought out some strengths and development areas.

That brought me through to Friday where I decided to put my feet up, have a long cool drink and prepare myself for my assessing on Saturday. The whole crew are from my local RA and the referee is the person for whom I carried out my first Supply League assessment back in January. I'm looking forward to seeing how much progress he has made. It will be good to catch up with James P and Chris H as well.

I'm closing by wishing Andy Madley well. He's doing his first Premier League game today at The Emirates for the game between Arsenal and Blackpool. It's funny to think I was running the line for him just 16 months ago at the District FA Sunday Cup Final. Good luck matey!

Foundations to build on

Writing in The Sunday Times, Sir Trevor Brooking reiterates future plans.

Returning home with a dejected England squad on Tuesday morning was a sombre experience.

We had left these shores a month earlier with high hopes. But nothing compares to the low of a humiliating defeat and an abrupt exit. So, once again, the nation is rightly searching for reasons why it happened and how we can prevent it from happening again.

I firmly believe that in Fabio Capello we have a truly world-class coach to lead the England senior team as we now focus on Euro 2012. Meanwhile, my priority is on ensuring that, into the future, the England Manager has the very best talent at his disposal.

I am acutely aware that there are no quick fixes and no easy answers but I am convinced that, put simply, the key to securing this future is that we must have more and better coaches with access to more kids at an earlier age.

The FA invests £1m a week into the grassroots of football but we need the public’s support to drive a sea change away from the outdated image of kids’ football in this country – one driven by results with scant regard for developing future players. In the last two years, we’ve totally revamped all of our coaching courses. A big part of that has been creating the new FA Youth Award. Over 2,000 coaches signed up for this Award in its first year but we need more people to take this course which specifically trains coaches in how to work with young players.

For me, the priority has to be improving skills at a young age, before it becomes too late. Many of your children will have been involved in The FA Tesco Skills programme which has grown significantly in the last year, with over 1.5m 5-11 year-old aspiring footballers enjoying the high quality youth coaching on offer from a network of skills coaches. I’m delighted that this week we got a timely boost with the news that Tesco have extended their support for another four years which means we can recruit more skills coaches and further expand the programme.

This 5-11 age group is key. These youngsters must have mastered the basics skills of controlling the ball in their mini soccer games so they can pass and dribble the ball with confidence. If not, they will struggle to cope with the tactical demands of 11-a-side football once they get into their teens. We have to encourage flair and technique so that as players get older we can teach tactical awareness and good decision-making if we are to stand a chance of competing with other flourishing nations.

At the top level, earlier this summer we produced a new coaching blueprint titled The Future Game which involved significant input from across the professional game and has been extremely well received. This is a vital, and long-overdue, technical guide for youth coaches showing how we need to develop players to contest at the highest level of world football. We must ensure this is delivered as widely as possible. We’re also aiming to produce a grassroots version by the end of the year.

On an annual basis, the number of people qualifying for the top UEFA coaching qualifications in England - the A, B and Pro Licences - is now on a par with all of Europe’s leading nations. Some of football’s biggest names have recognised the quality of our instruction. Gianfranco Zola and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were learning alongside some talented young English coaches such as Chris Kiwomya, Neil Redfearn and Jason Dodd when I attended our latest Pro Licence course on Friday.

But we must now put in place the support infrastructure for these coaches to ensure their experience and knowledge is shared throughout the football community, right down to the grassroots and youth levels. That is why the concept of a National Football Centre is vitally important for English football. Opening St George’s Park at Burton-upon-Trent would provide the finishing school for producing more home-grown managers and coaches, a place where the coaching community, from England to your local youth team, will have the same access to resources and experience to pass on to their players. We are the only leading football nation without a Centre of this kind, but St George's Park will be something to be proud of - a symbol of national pride and hope for the future.

And there are some sound foundations to build on. At the international level there have been some encouraging signs. Our U17 team performed exceptionally well in winning the European Championship in May following on from appearances in Euro Finals last year from our men’s Under-21 and U19s and women’s U19s.

At The FA there are dedicated people working very hard for the good of our game but we alone cannot provide all the solutions – we need everyone who cares about football to play their part and help us implement our new playing philosophy at all levels.

As an example, if just 1 in 600 of Sunday Times readers took a level 1 basic coaching course and The FA Youth Award, we would instantly double the number of specially qualified youth coaches. Now, wouldn’t that be a fitting response to the disappointment of our exit last Sunday?

BBC Sport - Football - Football League finale as it happened

My own comment – well done my team (Leeds, Leeds, Leeds) and well done Blackpool. I would love them and Ian Holloway to get into the Premier League

BBC Sport - Football - Football League finale as it happened

1804: I don't know about you lot but I have thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns of the last few hours. Will there be more tomorrow? Join Stevo to find out, as he takes you through the final day of the Premier League season to see whether the title is heading for Stamford Bridge or Old Trafford. Enjoy, and I'll see you again on Tuesday for the second leg of the Championship play-off final between Nottingham Forest and Blackpool.

1800: I'm assuming Leeds fans will definitely be tuning in for the FLS, if they are not all still dancing around on the Elland Road pitch that is...

1750: Depending on your allegiances, I'm not sure all of you will want to watch the Football League Show tonight, but for sheer drama and entertainment I'd definitely recommend it... it starts at 2310 BST on BBC One.

1747: No champagne in Grimsby tonight though. The Mariners' 99-year stay in the Football League is over, after their 3-0 defeat by Burton and they will join already-relegated Darlington the Blue Square Premier next season.

1744: More champagne. Barrow have won the FA Trophy, with Jason Walker's extra-time winner giving them a 2-1 win over 10-man Stevenage.

1740: In League Two, Morecambe and Dagenham & Redbridge both won today to secure play-off places and they will meet in the semi-finals. Rotherham and Aldershot are the other sides involved.

1738: The season's not over for Charlton, Millwall, Swindon or Huddersfield of course. Would anyone like to try to predict the outcome of the League One play-offs? Not me, that's for sure. The Lions will play the Terriers in the semi-finals, while the Robins will meet the Addicks.

From Adam, Chesterfield fan, via text:Big farewell to Saltergate today, can't believe I will be able to actually sit and watch the Spireites...

1731: In League Two, Chesterfield missed out on the play-offs despite beating Bournemouth 2-1 through Derek Niven's 95th-minute winner in the last ever game at Saltergate before the Spireites move to their new ground at the former Dema Glass site in the town.

1729: Let's not forget Norwich, who are celebrating too today because, despite losing 2-0 at home to Carlisle, they were presented with the League One trophy at the final whistle.

From Martin & Hannah (totally depressed), via text: Gillingham were a embarrassment today. We deserve to go down get Mark Stimson out or it will be same story next year.

1722: Other teams who deserve a mention today include Tranmere, who were in the League One relegation zone before kick-off but easily saw off bottom-side Stockport and saw other results go their way. Rovers boss Les Parry was their physio at the start of the season before replacing John Barnes after Tranmere's terrible start to the season.

1718: Talk about a dramatic day. Leeds were in second place in League One at start of play but during the course of the afternoon, Swindon, Charlton and Millwall all spent time in the top two... before Beckford scored Leeds' winner to earn them promotion. The Leeds players and fans are still on the pitch celebrating, needless to say.

1713: Extra time is being played in the FA Trophy final between Barrow and Stevenage. Lee McEvilly levelled in the 79th-minute for Barrow... Stevenage, who led through Andrew Drury's neat finish, are down to 10 men after David Bridges was sent off for violent conduct on 28 minutes.

From Nick, an ecstatic Exeter fan via text: Massive shout for Exeter manager Paul Tisdale for keeping us up. That man is an absolute legend down in the south west for what he's done for Exeter these last three seasons and before!

1707: Leeds boss Simon Grayson on securing promotion by beating Bristol Rovers 2-1, before his interview is interrupted by celebrating players who soak him in champagne: "Going down to 10 men made it a difficult ask but we knew we would get opportunities, even when we went behind. We kept working, as we have done all season, and the players got their just rewards. It is a fantastic achievement and we will kick on from here."

1705: It was Ryan Harley's goal that kept Exeter up in League One in the end, and sent Gillingham down. Harley found the bottom corner of the net from outside the area on 82 minutes. That put Hartlepool back in trouble (they have been deducted three points that don't show up on our as it stands table) but they held on for a draw at Brentford to survive on goal difference.

FHTHCrelly on Twitter: "As a Leeds fan who doubted him, I thank Jermaine Beckford for his goals and his performances. Thank you Beckford and good luck."

1701: Make that a few thousand Leeds fans on the pitch... and having quite a party by the looks of things. There might still be some players out there too...

1700: MORECAMBE & DAGENHAM SECURE THE TWO REMAINING PLAY-OFF SPOTS IN LEAGUE TWO

1658: Erm, the final whistle has gone and there are a few hundred Leeds fans on the pitch at Elland Road now. They are back in the Championship after a three-year absence... and after winning an incredible game against Bristol Rovers with just 10 men.

1657: LEEDS UNITED BEAT BRISTOL ROVERS 2-1 AND ARE PROMOTED TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP

1656: Leeds fans are running on to the pitch at Elland Road... but the game isn't over yet. There has been no indication of how much injury time will be played.

1655: GRIMSBY ARE RELEGATED FROM LEAGUE TWO

1655: GILLINGHAM ARE RELEGATED FROM LEAGUE ONE

1653: Full-time at lots of League One grounds - and confusion at Millwall and Charlton. Still a while before the final whistle at Elland Road... where if Leeds hang on and win 2-1 they go up, but if Bristol Rovers equalise, then Milllwall go up instead.

1653: GOALFLASH Barnet 1-0 Rochdale

1652: Grimsby are still 2-0 down at Burton and their relegation is just seconds away, I'm afraid. It looks like Mariners fans are trying to get on the pitch at the Pirelli Stadium.

lufc_turner on Twitter: "I'm a nervous Leeds fan sat at home listening to the match on 5live. I CANNOT TAKE THIS ANY MORE!!!!"

1647: Any sign of a Bristol Rovers equaliser at Elland Road? No, not yet anyway... the Pirates have enjoyed a bit of pressure but Leeds are holding out. Rovers best chance in the last few minutes saw Leeds keeper Shane Higgs hurl himself at the feet of Rovers' top scorer Jo Kuffour.

Swindon goal: The Robins pull one back against Millwall after Billy Paynter glances in Alan Sheehan's free-kick for his 26th league goal this season.

Tranmere goal: Rovers have got the three points in the bag here, as Joss Labadie grabs a third from inside the six-yard box. But will it be enough to keep Rovers up?

Dagenham goal: The Daggers also look in good shape to take the final play-off place in League Two as Josh Scott converts from close range,

1643: GOALFLASH Millwall 3-2 Swindon (Paynter)

1642: GOALFLASH Exeter 2-1 Hudderfield (Harley)

Wycombe goal: Gillingham haven't exactly risen to the occasion as Wycombe take a 3-0 lead. Kevin Betsy powers in from just inside the area after being set up by Kadeem Harris.

1640: Millwall striker Neil Harris is asking the crowd at the New Den how Leeds are doing... um, the news isn't great I'm afraid. Meanwhile, Huddersfield have just had a goal ruled out against Exeter.

Morecambe goal: If they stay in front, Morecambe are in the play-offs. Garry Hunter converts Paul Mullins's ball across the middle to put his side into a priceless lead.

1638: Leigh Bromby heads against the post for Leeds from a Neil Kilkenny free-kick... that would surely have sealed their promotion but still some nervous times ahead at Elland Road. And in League Two, Port Vale have levelled against Shrewsbury through a Marc Richards penalty... Vale need another goal if they are to have any hope of snatching a play-off place.

1636: Ah. Amid all that excitement at Elland Road, Jermaine Beckford for some reason got called Jermaine Pennant (it's now been changed). I don't think any of you noticed though?

1635: GOALFLASH Stockport 0-3 Tranmere (Labadie)

1634: GOALFLASH Darlington 0-2 Dagenham & Redbridge (Scott)

1633: GOALFLASH Wycombe 3-0 Gillingham (Betsy)

Wycombe goal: Alan Bennett (Talking) heads in for Wycombe from inside the six-yard box after getting on the end of Kevin Betsy's cross. Nervous, nervous times for Gillingham because if Exeter win, the Gills are going down.

1632: GOALFLASH Morecambe 1-0 Aldershot (Hunter)

1632: GOALFLASH Millwall 3-1 Swindon (Morison)

It doesn't look good for Grimsby, does it? Shaun Harrad puts Burton further ahead with his second of the game, and the Blue Square Premier is beckoning for the Mariners. Barnet are still only drawing against Rochdale but they are safe unless Grimsby score at least four goals to snatch an unlikely win.

1628: GOALFLASH Wycombe 2-0 Gillingham (Bennett)

1627: GOALFLASH Burton 3-0 Grimsby (Harrad)

Leeds goal: Incredible. Leeds were down and out about five minutes ago... now they are going up. Bradley Johnson's cross deceives the Rovers defence and Jermaine Beckford is in the right place to bury the loose ball for his 33rd goal of the season. Leeds are back in second place... whether they will stay there is anybody's guess.

1625: GOALFLASH Leeds 2-1 Bristol Rovers (Beckford)

Millwall goal: Steve Morison surges up the right wing and sends in a teasing low cross that Swindon captain Gordon Greer puts into his own net to send the Millwall fans wild with celebration... and start a short-lived pitch invasion. The Lions are in second-place as it stands.

Leeds goal: Luciano Becchio tees up Jonathan Howson on the edge of the area, and he curls home an equaliser for Leeds from the edge of the area. That puts Leeds second... for about five seconds.

1621: GOALFLASH Millwall 2-1 Swindon (Greer og)

1621: GOALFLASH Leeds 1-1 Bristol Rovers (Howson)

Tranmere goal: Ian Thomas-Moore grabs a scrappy second from close range as he pokes in from Zoumana Bakayogo's cross into the box. Tranmere fans couldn't care less though - they are 2-0 up and, as it stands, staying up.

jhaden81 (a Norwich fan) on Twitter: "Leeds aside, is there a team less deserving of second than Charlton? Swindon or Millwall should be looking to capitalise."

1616: Still not a sniff of a Leeds equaliser but Charlton have almost gone 3-0 up... they are inches away from making it 3-0 as Nicky Bailey pounces on a feeble backpass before rounding the keeper only to see his effort roll just wide of the far post.

Charlton goal: The Addicks take a two-goal lead and it's not one that Oldham keeper Darryl Flahavan will want to see too many times. Miguel Angel Llera's direct free-kick goes over the wall but Flahavan lets it slip straight through him. Charlton are well in charge of this one now... but will results elsewhere stay in their favour?

1612: GOALFLASH Stockport 0-2 Tranmere (Thomas-Moore)

1610: TV replays show Daniel Jones had his foot stamped on by Max Gradel for his red card in the first half but Jones went down holding his face - that might explain why Leeds were so angry about the sending off.

Bristol Rovers goal: Absolute disaster for Leeds, whose day is going from bad to worse. Daniel Jones, who was involved in the incident that saw Max Gradel sent off, crosses from the left and the ball is turned back across goal for Darryl Duffy to convert from close range. As things stand, Charlton are going up.

1608: GOALFLASH Leeds 0-1 Bristol Rovers (Duffy)

1606: GOALFLASH Oldham 0-2 Charlton (Llera)

1605: We are back under way at grounds across the country... apart from Leeds.

From DeanoG88 on 606: "Swindon never seem to shut out a team. Work needs to be done on their defensive side of their play as attacking seems to be their main prerogative. Arsenal are the same!! All that being said, Come on you REDS!!"

MightyMarkyMark on Twitter: "Dear LUFC - I have supported you ever since I was 7. Please contact me when you're ready to take football seriously again."

1601: If 10-man Leeds should lose, and Millwall and Swindon draw then a Charlton win will take them up. The final 45 minutes of the League One season are not going to be dull, are they?

BBC Sport's Paul Fletcher at Elland Road on Twitter: "There is anger and confusion at Elland Road. The air is so thick with tension you can almost touch it. Too much for mad Max Gradel."

Wycombe goal: Matt Phillips finds the net with a goal from just outside the penalty box, moments before the end of the half. That's spoilt Gillingham players' half-time cup of tea and no mistake. As it stands, the Gills are clinging on to their League One status by just one point.

1552: It's half-time at Elland Road by the way but it is still all happening there. Graham Salisbury is having a nice chat with Leeds captain Jermaine Beckford as they leave the pitch and Bristol Rovers boss Paul Trollope got shoved over by the tunnel.

1551: GOALFLASH Wycombe 1-0 Gillingham (Phillips)

1549: A booking at Elland Road for Bristol Rovers' Darryl Duffy for an aerial challenge on Leeds keeper Shane Higgs. "This game's too big for you", the Leeds fans chant at referee Graham Salisbury after he produces the yellow card. To be honest Mr Salisbury has done well so far to try to keep a lid on a fiery-old match. More fireworks to come there, I'd wager...

A couple of important goals to tell you about at the top of League Two. Chesterfield's slim hopes of making the play-offs have been hit by Drew Talbot's own goal against Bournemouth on the stroke of half-time. Better news for Bury, with Ryan Lowe blasting them in front against Nottingham, but they are relying on slip-ups by Morecambe (who are drawing against Aldershot) or Dagenham (who are beating Darlington) to sneak into the play-offs.

Tranmere fan Mark in Iraq, via text: ""Yessssssssssss! The Iraqis are now looking at me as if I am crazy!"

1543: Just a reminder: Ten-man Leeds are still in second spot in League One but need a victory against Bristol Rovers to be sure of going up. It's still 0-0 and, if United can't get the three points, whoever wins out of Millwall and Swindon will be promoted instead.

duffman63 on Twitter: "Absolute shambles Leeds! Can you ever keep your heads!?"

Tranmere goal: Tranmere's Ian Goodison scores what BBC commentator Conor McNamara describes as "a real central defender's goal" as he wallops it in from the middle of the penalty area. Hope for Tranmere in the battle to avoid relegation.

Burton goal: Shaun Harrad slides in to score Burton's second goal from close range and you have to say that Grimsby look doomed now.

1539: GOALFLASH Burton 2-0 Grimsby

1539: GOALFLASH Stockport 0-1 Tranmere (Goodison)

Leeds red card: Seconds after Jermaine Beckford has a goal ruled out for offside, Leeds are down to 10 men. Max Gradel clashes with Daniel Jones, stamping on his foot in the Bristol Rovers area. Cue a massive melee before Gradel gets his marching orders - taking several minutes before he is persuaded by his own players and fans to leave the pitch.

1535: RED CARD Leeds' Max Gradel

1534: Leeds are still dominating possession but, for all that, they have not posed any serious goalscoring threat. Their head-to-head record against the other contenders is dreadful, so Leeds will be desperate to avoid the play-offs - if it stays like this, tension and nerves could play a major factor in the outcome of this match.

Dagenham goal: Win and the Daggers are in the League Two play-offs, and they have made a decent start with Jon Nurse heading them in front against relegated Darlington from a corner.

1532: GOALFLASH Darlington 0-1 Dagenham & Redbridge (Nurse)

1530: I've been told we cannot get that League One 'as it stands' table fixed to reflect Hartlepool's points deduction... so it's more an 'as it doesn't stand' at the moment. Sorry.

1529: Chris Turner has equalised for Accrington at Cheltenham but, with Grimsby still behind at Burton, it will still take a huge turnaround for the Robins to be relegated from League Two.

Two big goals to tell you about in League One that affect both ends of the table. Nicky Bailey nets from close range against Oldham to keep alive Charlton's slim hopes of automatic promotion, while Matt Taylor heads home Ryan Harley's cross to put Exeter level against Huddersfield.

1526: GOALFLASH Oldham 0-1 Charlton (Bailey)

1525: GOALFLASH Exeter 1-1 Huddersfield (Taylor)

1522: By the way, our as it stands League One table does not include the three points that Hartlepool have been deducted for fielding an inelgible player.

mcneilmortensen on Twitter: "We're Tranmere fans from Denmark and even WE'RE bricking it over our match against Stockport! GOOD LUCK ROVERS!"

Burton goal: After a spell of possession football from Burton, Greg Pearson puts them ahead with a ferocious strike into the top corner. A terrible start for Grimsby in their fight to avoid relegation - especially as Barnet, their rivals to stay in the Football League, are holding Rochdale at home.

1517: This is all very bad news for Grimsby fans. Josh Low has scored from the middle of the penalty area after nine minutes to put Cheltenham ahead against Accrington and give the Robins some welcome breathing room at the bottom of League Two. At the other end of the table, Shrewsbury's Kris Bright fires in from outside the box to damage Port Vale's hopes of reaching the end-of-season play-offs.

1516: It's all Leeds at the moment, but no goals yet despite the home side enjoying a great chance when Bristol Rovers struggled to clear a free kick and Shane Lowry lobbed the ball back into the box, only for Jermaine Beckford just failed to connect with the ball as he attempted to push it past advancing keeper Mikkel Anderson. Lively stuff so far, with an atmosphere to match.

1514: GOALFLASH Burton 1-0 Grimsby (Pearson)

Millwall goal: A nice quiet start at the New Den. Lewis Grabban bursts through and is bundled over in the box by Jonathon Douglas. Steven Morison sends the keeper the wrong way from the resulting penalty and Leeds are back in second place.

1513: GOALFLASH Millwall 1-1 Swindon (Morison)

1512: PENALTY to Millwall

1510: Stevenage are ahead in the FA Trophy final at Wembley. Andrew Drury has scored Boro's goal.

From Northern Echo sports editor and Hartlepool fan Nick Loughlin, at Griffin Park: "Huddersfield one-up at Exeter - good news for Hartlepool that."

From Olly in Exeter on 81111: "Not sure I'll need your updates on the Exeter game. I'm in the library trying to revise for exams, but can hear the St James Park racket from here. Up the City!"

1507: I haven't seen it, but Huddersfield are a goal up at St James Park. Gary Roberts finds the net with a shot from the edge of the area that flies into the top corner. The Terriers are still massive outsiders to snatch an automatic promotion place but their goal is a good news for Exeter's relegation rivals at the other end of the table.

1506: GOALFLASH Exeter 0-1 Huddersfield

Swindon goal: A dream start for the Robins... Millwall fail to clear a free-kick pumped into the box and Danny Ward volleys into the bottom corner. Swindon are second and going up, as things stand.

1503: GOALFLASH Millwall 0-1 Swindon (Ward)

1502: We're under way everywhere in League One.

1500: Lots more than just Leeds' promotion at stake this afternoon, though, obviously. I'll try to keep across all 18 games in League One and Two that have something riding on them. Before things get started, if you give this page a manual refresh, a whole series of treats should appear before your eyes.

From coleb86 on Twitter: "As a Bristol Rovers fan I have had several texts of encouragement to stall Leeds' party."

BBC Sport's Paul Fletcher at Elland Road on Twitter: "Leeds team news - Jermaine Beckford starts and is skipper for the day. Interesting."

1450: A decent little appetiser served up by Blackpool and Forest there. I hope you lot are ready for today's main course - the final day of action in League One and Two? How are you all feeling? Confident, I hope...

Tense times for Forest fans. Their sides had plenty of chances in the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final but only Chris Cohen found the target for Billy Davies' side and the Seasiders fought back from a goal down to triumph through goals by Keith Southern and Charlie Adam. Blackpool will take a narrow lead into Tuesday's second leg.

1441: FULL-TIME Blackpool 2-1 Nottingham Forest

1440: Remember Chris Cohen's left foot? It's just brought a super low stop from Blackpool keeper Matty Gilkes after Cohen let fly from the edge of the area. A vital save from Gilkes to keep Blackpool ahead.

From Rob in Exeter, via text:"Anyone else a bit worried what would happen to Blackpool if they made the Premier League? Good luck to them though, they have done wonders this season."

1437: There will be five minutes of injury time... time for another goal?

1435: We're into the 90th minute at Bloomfield Road. Blackpool lead Nottingham Forest 2-1, and remember away goals will not be used to settle the tie if the scores are level at the end of the second leg.

1434: This is a decent spell of keep-ball by Blackpool. It ends when David Vaughan is brought down by his Wales international team-mate Robert Earnshaw, who finds himself in Phil Dowd's book.

1430: Less than 10 minutes to go. Forest are hunting for an equaliser, while Blackpool are looking for a third goal to take to the City Ground. This is what the play-offs are all about.

1428: Burgess has only been on a couple of minutes but he has just come very close to scoring Blackpool's third goal. After Stephen Dobbie's shot is blocked, the ball falls for Burgess who sends his low effort bouncing just wide of Lee Camp's right-hand post.

1427: Blackpool are going to make all three of their substitutions in quick succession. Ben Burgess has replaced Gary Taylor-Fletcher, who has a head injury and cannot continue, and here come Stephen Dobbie and Barry Bannan for Brett Ormerod and DJ Campbell.

1424: A couple of changes by Forest. Robert Earnshaw and David McGoldrick are on, Radoslaw Majewski and Dexter Blackstock are off.

1422: Forest boss Billy Davies is never afraid to offer his opinion and he seems very unhappy with Phil Dowd's recent decisions... there's a surprise. I fear he could be watching the rest of the game from the stands when Dowd comes over for a quick chat, but the referee decides a stern word in the manager's ear will suffice.

1420: Charlie Adam sees his free-kick blocked but the ball is quickly hoisted back into the area. Brett Ormerod swivels to fire in a shot that Lee Camp saves but the whistle has already gone for offside.

1419: Forest defender Kelvin Wilson slides in to win the ball from Gary Taylor-Fletcher on the edge of the area. That looked a perfect tackle to me but referee Phil Dowd thought otherwise... Blackpool free-kick in a very dangerous position.

From billykingsmill on Twitter: "Why would Billy Davies say his team isn't good enough for the Prem? It's affected the players ever since, and now look."

From Ibrox_Via_Bristol_1985 on 606: "Would be nice if Blackpool did go up, they play some great stuff at times. Holloway is a bit of a legend even though he supports the gas. Charlie Adam has been a revelation as well. He was lazy at Rangers but always had a great left peg. Hope we put a sell on clause in his contract!"

1416: End-to-end stuff all of a sudden. Blackpool break quickly and Charlie Adam plays in DJ Campbell on the left-hand side of the area. Campbell tries to pick his spot with a first-time finish but only succeeds in sidefooting horribly high over the bar.

1413: Another chance for Forest. Nathan Tyson finds the space to cross from the left but Dexter Blackstock sees his header drift wide at the near post.

1412: Hmmm. Forest play on with a Blackpool player on the ground and injured but Chris Cohen's cross spins off Dexter Blackstock's head and the chance has gone. Forest are under no obligation to kick the ball out, but I'm not sure that Seasiders boss Ian Holloway would have been too happy if that had gone in.

1407: Blackpool are not just sitting in their lead, mind. Forest have only just survived an almighty goalmouth scramble that saw Brett Omerod and Keith Southern both have shots blocked for the Seasiders. They could do with a third goal to take to the City Ground for the second leg on Tuesday night.

1405: We've already seen what Chris Cohen's left foot can do once today, and Forest could do with more of the same now they find themselves behind. Cohen gets a sight of goal with a free-kick outside the area but his shot loops on to the roof of the net.

Blackpool goal: James Perch brings down DJ Campbell as the striker bursts into the box - not sure he meant it but there was definitely contact. Phil Dowd points to the spot and Charlie Adam steps up to send Lee Camp the wrong way from the spot for his 18th goal of the season.

1402: GOALFLASH Blackpool 2-1 Nottingham Forest (Adam)

1401: PENALTY to Blackpool

From optajoe on Twitter: "48 - No side scored more second half goals than Blackpool (48) in the Championship this season. Bloomers."

1358: Oh dear. Dexter Blackstock tangles with Seamus Coleman as the Blackpool full-back tries to take a quick throw-in and the pair of them are quickly involved in an impromptu wrestling match on the touchline. That was unnecessary but not serious - cue yellow cards all round from Phil Dowd, which is the right response.

BBC Sport's Paul Fletcher on Twitter: "The footy special double decker to Elland Road was packed but very quiet. Plenty of nervous Leeds fans. In a word - tense."

1355: Blackpool are the first team to threaten. Brett Ormerod has a shot from a tight angle blocked and, from the resulting corner, he only just fails to get his head on David Vaughan's cross.

1352: The second half has just started at Bloomfield Road.

1350: One other game going on today that I haven't mentioned yet... the FA Trophy final between Blue Square Premier champions Stevenage and Barrow. That's at Wembley from 1500 BST.

1342: We've had a decent first-half at Bloomfield Road with a goal apiece, plenty of chances at both ends... but nothing decided yet. Forest will feel they have done enough to be ahead but Blackpool remain dangerous, and I don't think they have really got going yet. All to play for, for both teams.

bigblue cliff via text: "Re. Prestiegeparky at 1300: Bring it on, Blackpool away on a Saturday in August, sun, sea chips and three points in the bag."

1337: HALF-TIME Blackpool 1-1 Nottingham Forest

1335: More chances for Forest but Blackpool survive, just. Wes Morgan (not Paul Anderson or even Wes Anderson!) meets a corner at the far post but his low drive is cleared off the line by Stephen Crainey. Creaney's not done yet, either, as he then clears another header off the line from the resulting corner. That's what I call pressure... but the score is still 1-1.

1332: More neat football by Blackpool but Forest are letting them play it round in the middle of the park then breaking things up as they get near the visitors' area.

1328: Not long to go now until half-time and things have gone a tad quiet at Bloomfield Road in the last few minutes... neither side has been able to maintain the frenetic pace of the opening stages.

From optajoe on Twitter: "20 - Nottingham Forest have not lost a single match that they went ahead in this season - winning 20 and drawing two. Windy."

1322: Blackpool are passing it around for the first time, or at least trying to. To be honest, I expected them to do that from the start but it's taken them a while to settle down. This game is still wide open, mind.

1317: More drama. With Blackpool's fans still celebrating their equaliser, Forest's Paul Anderson breaks down the left and crosses for Dexter Blackstock to send a looping header against the bar, before Nathan Tyson blasts the rebound over.

Blackpool goal: Forest are ahead for less than 12 minutes. Seamus Coleman's mazy run ends with Ian Evatt playing in a low deflected cross from the left that Keith Southern converts from close range.

1312: GOALFLASH Blackpool 1-1 Nottingham Forest (Southern)

1310: For those of you who were wondering, away goals don't count extra if the scores are level at the end of the second leg.

From Adam_Clatworthy on Twitter: "What a goal by Cohen! One of the very best of the season. Perfect strike!"

1305: Almost a second goal for Forest. Chris Cohen curls in a free-kick from the left and it only just eludes Wes Morgan as he arrives unmarked at the far post.

1304: A chance for an immediate Blackpool reply, as DJ Campbell bursts into the area... but he cannot quite work space for a shot on goal and the chance is gone. Blackpool felt Campbell was pulled back there as he shaped to shoot but referee Phil Dowd is having none of it.

Forest goal: Lee Camp's clearance reaches the edge of the Blackpool area and Radoslaw Majewski tees up Chris Cohen, who expertly curls an unstoppable first-time shot into the top corner of the net. The build-up was route one but the finish was top class.

1301: GOALFLASH Blackpool 0-1 Nottingham Forest (Cohen)

1300: Hmmm. Neither side has really got the ball down and tried to use it yet... at the moment high and hopeful balls are the order of the day.

Prestigeparky (Blackburn fan) via text: "Good luck to the Seasiders and Holloway today, hope they replace Burnley as another north-west team in the Prem would be great."

1254: Blackpool's best early chance sees Charlie Adam flight in a dangerous free-kick that is put behind for a corner as Brett Ormerod tries to get on the end of it at the back post.

1251: The first effort on goal comes from Forest's Nathan Tyson, who has a pop from the edge of the box but sees the ball fly over the bar.

1250: Forest have pumped a couple of useful balls into the Blackpool box but the home side have cleared their lines on both occasions. The wind is causing both sides a few problems so far.

1247: We're under way at Bloomfield Road.

1246: Forest boss Billy Davies enjoys a warm embrace with Blackpool manager Ian Holloway. Hopefully they will still be mates at full-time too.

1245: Right then. The teams are out on the pitch at a very windy Bloomfield Road and the action is about to get under way. Forest haven't been in the Premier League since 1999 and Blackpool have been out of the top flight since 1971 but one of them could take a large stride towards putting that right today.

1244: Lots going on then, and lots of teams involved - which means a nervous day for lots of you. I'd love to know your thoughts too, so Tweet me gently, get involved on 606 or text in via 81111 (UK) or +44 7786200666 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting   +44 7786200666 end_of_the_skype_highlighting (worldwide). Don't be shy.

From Pickles91 on 606: "People want Mourinho in the Prem, I'd rather have Holloway, hope Blackpool come up and do well."

1242: Nottingham Forest boss Billy Davies: "The play-offs are a lottery and, in my opinion, third place should get us up. But the rules are there from the start and we will go and do our best to finish the job."

1241: Blackpool manager Ian Holloway: "I've been saying all season that these boys are good enough. Now we're aiming for the stars and we've got a chance of getting there. We have scored 27 more goals than we did last season and, with the energy of the players and the fans, we can go into these play-off games without any fear."

1239: In League Two, Grimsby's best chance of staying up is for them to beat Burton and hope Barnet lose to Rochdale, while victory for the Bees and a big win for the Mariners could still send Cheltenham down. At the other end of the table, Morecambe, Dagenham & Redbridge, Bury, Port Vale, Northampton and Chesterfield are battling it out for the two remaining play-off places.

1236: TEAM NEWS Blackpool v Nottingham Forest
Blackpool name an unchanged line-up from the side that drew with Bristol City. Nottingham Forest make eight changes from the side that drew with Scunthorpe, with skipper Paul Mckenna, Radoslaw Majewski, Dexter Blackstock and Nathan Tyson included in their starting XI.

From Northern Echo sports editor and Hartlepool fan Nick Loughlin, Tweeting on his way to Griffin Park for Brentford v Hartlepool: "Bad sign - lift in hotel just said 'going down'."

1232: At the bottom of League One, Hartlepool's three-point deduction this week for fielding an inelgible player has put them back in relegation trouble, joining Tranmere, Gillingham and Exeter in fighting the drop.

1230: Who needs what to do what today and what will it mean? I hear you ask. Hopefully. Let's start at the top of League One, where Leeds are in pole position to join champions Norwich in winning automatic promotion to the Championship - a win over Bristol Rovers at Elland Road today will do the trick. But, if Simon Grayson's side don't secure the three points, the winner of Millwall versus Swindon will go up instead... while Charlton and Huddersfield are still in the mixer too.

1227: TEAMS Blackpool v Nottingham Forest
Blackpool: Gilks, Coleman, Evatt, Baptiste, Crainey, Vaughan, Southern, Adam, Ormerod, Taylor-Fletcher, Campbell. Subs: Rachubka, Clarke, Burgess, Euell, Edwards, Bannan, Dobbie.
Nottm Forest: Camp, Perch, Morgan, Wilson, Gunter, McKenna, Majewski, Cohen, Blackstock, Tyson, Anderson. Subs: Smith, Chambers, McGugan, Earnshaw, Garner, McGoldrick, Boyd.
Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire)

1224: We start in the Championship, however, with the first leg of the play-off semi-final between Nottingham Forest and Blackpool at 1245 BST. Forest finished third in the table, nine points ahead of the Seasiders, who secured sixth spot with a run of only one defeat in their last nine games.

1219: Yep, today is the final day of the season in League One and Two - with 18 teams still involved in undecided promotion and relegation issues in those divisions. FOURTEEN of today's 24 fixtures have something riding on them, so don't expect the next few hours to be particularly quiet.

1215: Hello. No Premier League action today but if you want thrills, spills, tension and - most probably - tears, then you are definitely in the right place.

A late Christmas Present for Leeds United fans everywhere

If I could have one wish ...

... then it would be to see my son to lift the FA Cup as the captain of a Leeds United team ...

TheFA.com - Btec National Referee Qualification

 

TheFA.com - Btec National Referee Qualification

New referees benefit from local college link-up.

This initiative is fully endorsed and supported by The FA and delivered in partnership with the Hampshire County FA.
As part of the Btec National qualification, South Downs College are the first Further Education College to deliver a full referees qualification as part of unit 20 - ‘Understanding the Rules and Laws of Officiating in Sport’.

(Great initiative and nice to see my friend Lucy involved)

BBC NEWS | England | Derbyshire | Referee, 83, to keep on whistling

BBC NEWS | England | Derbyshire | Referee, 83, to keep on whistling

One of England's oldest referees has said he has no plans to retire after more than 50 years in the role.

I love this quote from Mr Hardy …

"I always tell them when they ask: 'What was that for ref?', I say 'I ain't got time to tell you kid'.

"We have only got 90 minutes, and if I stop to tell them everything I blow for we would never finish."

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 funs starts here …

The legend that was The Don …

TheFA.com - International Course deemed a success

 TheFA.com - International Course deemed a success

By Ian Blanchard - Wednesday, 04 November, 2009

30 instructors from 23 nations enjoy course staged by The FA.

The FA International Referee Instructors' Course, Staverton Park Conference Centre, Daventry,11 - 18 October 2009
As leaders in the education of referee instructors, The FA have just completed a one week course from the 11 - 18 October 2009 for 30 referee instructors from 23 countries.

Great to see Ian, Ray, Janie, Craig, Steve, Roger and Dean continuing to spread their quality training.

TheFA.com - Green Day ready to rock Wembley

TheFA.com - Green Day ready to rock Wembley

Green Day will play Wembley Stadium on Saturday 19 June next year.

I think I’ll be at Glastonbury that week … wonder if they’ll turn up there too …

TheFA.com - Not to be shouted at!

 TheFA.com - Not to be shouted at!

24 new referees qualified in North Riding region this week.

Referees perform a vital role in the game, and with the growth in the popularity of football, particularly for women and children, the demand for match officials is increasing.
Earlier this week, 24 young referees from across the North Riding County passed out as official referees and are now fully qualified to officiate on Junior and Youth league games in the area. (Click the link above for more …)

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.

Pleasant Surprise

The postman arrived later today meaning I missed him before taking my son to school.

He brought me some excellent news as I received a letter advising that I had met the criteria for Licensed Instructor status. I had a nice letter from Ian Blanchard, accompanied by my licence, a Licensed Instructor badge and a certificate. So the hard work on the course in July and in preparing my sessions for the last Basic Course I helped with, have paid off.

I owe thanks to a lot of people, those who first considered me to have the potential, those who pushed me towards instructing, those who had confidence in me to push me on a further step and those who helped me fulfil my potential. I still have some development to do and as a certain Badger says, onward and upward, always learning ...

Thank you Barry, David, Jamie, John, Steve, Alan, Andy, Bobby, Janie, Ian, Ray, Peter, Adam, Craig, Vince, Roger and Steve S as well as all the other fantastic candidates on my course at Staverton Park in July. Now it's time to get some work done ... Callback evening - September 30, Basic Course - October 11 ...

A mad dash

Last week, a work meeting was postponed from Thursday until Wednesday September 16.

No real problem except that it was in Scotland and clashed with the date of the 5-4 promotion meeting. I had to be at both, because despite notifying the County FA of the clash, missing the promotion meeting meant I would be dropped from the programme.

I headed back but got advance warning (via the satnav) of traffic congestion just outside Oldham. I made a detour through what felt like most of Lancashire, cutting through Rochdale and arrived 45 minutes after the meeting started. I tried to sneak in without making much of an entrance but Ken, who was leading the meeting, pointed me out (thanks boss!). It was interesting to hear that another candidate had been telling all and sundry that I would not pass the fitness test (just what you need to hear from a colleague).

That gave me some extra drive towards training this week :-)

Funny

Slaven Bilic's comments before the England Croatia game regarding loss of "Englishness". Result 5-1 and England qualify for the World Cup Finals in South Africa next year.

Fat Lad ordered some new flags for his debut as a Supply League referee and that's exactly what he got ... flags ... no handles, no sticks, no caps ... just flags. The handles, sticks and caps are now on order ...

On Call

Since coming back from my Licenced Tutor course a couple of weeks ago, I've been in demand.

I was already set up to deliver one indoor and two outdoor sessions on the County FA's next Basic Course for New Referees and then during a chance meeting last week I was asked to help on the Supply League Assistant's evening.

When we were wrapping that up last night over a glass of orange squash, I was asked to become involved in the County FA's FAMOA event next Monday. I've been asked to deliver the presentation on the Respect programme. I have an up to date version however I've been asked to re-work the presentation I delivered to the Basic Course in February.

I've trimmed a few lines off the PowerPoint slides and dropped in some interactive stuff. The Lesson Plans are written for the indoor and first outdoor session. On the second outdoor session, it is absolutely huge so it's a case of keeping the candidates moving and interested - no mean feat and it will certainly be a challenge.

Training 2.15

After two days of HI work, the leader took pity on the lesser mortals and decided we'd have a "lighter" session.

This consisted of various quick feet exercises designed to increase mobility as well as push recovery levels up a little. I paired up with David who looks like the youngest candidate on the course and we worked through the various exercises (2x rep for each) until we completed a nice short little session. We were even joined by the boss' boss Mr B.

The session was a very wet one as the heavens opened and I managed to tweak the tweak I had last week. I kept going to the end and we trooped back for breakfast after a little over 35 minutes. Calories 510, average 74%, max 88%. Tomorrow is a recovery day so it's pool, sauna, steam room before the course work begins again.

Delivered today and got a reasonable mark for a first attempt at the new standard. Got an opportunity to improve tomorrow and twice on Thursday before we have our attendance presentation. I managed to purchase a couple of extra polo shirts (3 Lions badge) so I'll be comfortable through to the weekend.

Training 2.14

When a man 6 years your senior laps you twice on a 30 minute exercise you sometimes wonder if you should give up.

Not today and certainly not in front of some of the most talented young officials in the game today. Instead I persevered and ran until I heard a horrible wheezing noise coming out of my mouth. The most satisfying thing was that the senior gentleman had also run himself to a standstill, once more illustrating the value of working at your own pace.

Today was, in essence, a simple exercise. We ran a figure 8 shape for 75s, 60s rest, 60s run, 45s rest, 45s run, 30s rest, 30s run, 15 sec rest, 30s run, 30s rest, 45s run, 45s rest, 60s run, 60s rest and a 75s run. This was repeated twice and then a couple of 60s runs were thrown in at the end for fun (!?).

Hard work in the rapidly rising heat of the early morning and while fighting off the influence of 6 pints of lager the previous evening while "bonding". 845 calories burned, 98% max and 86% (new high I think) average. Tomorrow is a slightly lighter session with the emphasis on mobility (fast feet). It could be interesting.

More interesting is that tomorrow I deliver my first tutor session. Another one to do on Wednesday and 2 practical sessions on Thursday. The fun starts now!!!

Supply League Assistant

I asked to change Supply Leagues when re-registering for the 2009-10 season for a couple of reasons, the major one being that I'd done all I was likely to do in my existing league in the 5 seasons in which I had refereed/assisted, felt I was getting stale and I needed a change of scenery.

I hadn't received a notification letter, despite many others getting theirs. I was a little concerned that maybe I'd been dropped as an assistant. I phoned Mr C at the County office and he confirmed that I had been moved to the Northern Counties - East League and my letter had been sent out. On hearing that it hadn't arrived, he agreed to send me another.

I then have to accept my appointment and then the appointments will start coming in for August 8 onwards. I'll need to be careful with closing my dates this year to ensure I don't create a bad impression in my first season. I almost feel like the new boy at the grammar school!

Speaking of closing dates I need to send an e-mail to The FA to close my dates through to the end of November. I have been nominated by my County for consideration to The FA's competitions, FA Vase, FA Cup and FA Trophy. An appointment in any of these competitions or the Youth or Women's Cups are always a real boost and a great honour. I've ready a list of dates from pre-season tournaments, prior engagements and work on which I can't take games.

I hope I get an appointment like Fat Lad, who was on ITV.com for the highlights of the preliminary round of the FA Cup last season!