More controversy!

I had hoped after recent weeks that my single game of the weekend could go fluently, just for once, without any issues on my part. Everyone knows a referee should be heard and not seen, and from our viewpoint, a succesful match means we've turned up, said little, let the game flow, got paid and gone home! This was just another of those games that from fairly early on I just wanted to go home!

Arriving at Forest Town Welfare shortly before the game, I spoke with both managers, checked the pitch and the goals and prepared to have a good game. It was an under 13's game, which from previous experiences this season run fairly smoothly and from the discussions with the managers, looked as though it would be fairly one sided with Forest Town - the top flight team, having beaten Blackwell - a division 2 side, comfortably in previous meetings.

I remembered many of the Forest Town players from when I had taken my old Welbeck side their on a couple of occasions and knew they were a talented, though very arrogant and unsporting side. However it was Blackwell that started the brighter, playing on the counter they forced 2 or 3 clear opportunities to break but couldn't quite muster a clear shot on goal, before Forest Town started to take control. They took the lead through a well taken lob and were 2-0 up soon after from a long range effort that the short Blackwell keeper couldn't get across to.

There was then a clash in the Blackwell penalty box when their tough centre back went into a 50-50 tackle strongly with a smaller but fiesty Forest Town winger. The ball was very much there to be won and both lads went in hard but the home player went in a little harder with one foot showing a little too much stud, catching the Blackwell player just above the shinpad. There were bellows from the sides for a red card and after ensuring the Blackwell player wasn't too injured, I pulled the winger to one side to have words and to book him.

In recent weeks I've been disappointed that when speaking to players I've not been clear or confident enough, and that it was a big part of my game I needed to improve upon. This time I ensured I spoke firmly and clearly, informing the player that his tackle was a little reckless, he had every right to go for the ball and hadn't put a foot wrong up to that point but that it did merit a booking. He accepted it which made it easy, hopefully I'll be as confident when speaking to older players and also be able to deal confidently with any follow up verbal.

The Blackwell touchline committee were angry that only a yellow had been shown and after speaking to their manager that it was a yellow card offense, it appeared that a recent match between the 2 sides had seen the cautioned player play in a dangerous manner, resulting in a broken ankle for a Blackwell player. Unfortunately I don't have access to previous history of teams at this level and it doesn't quite make the News of the World. I can only focus on the game to hand. At one point the Blackwell physio attending to the player was raving about the tackle, telling me to get a grip on the game and that the tackle was shocking and merited a red card, and he should know as he's a doctor.... I had to laugh, does this then give me the right to march into his surgery and claim that the last injection he just did was shocking and I should know as I'm a referee?!!

The Blackwell sideline were clearly infuriated by the incident and it was made worse shortly after when another player was caught in possession going forward, colliding with the Forest Town player nipping in to take the ball away from under him causing him to go down on the half way line but play continued. As it wasn't a head injury, the player didn't look under any immediate distress and the play had now moved to a totally seperate part of the field, I had no urgent requirement to stop play. Looking back I wish I had but I hoped the home side would do me a favour and kick it out of play in a sporting fashion, but they didn't and to make matters worse, they scored from it. This made the touchline furious for the remainder of the game, getting on my back at every little occasion.

I was glad to bring the first half to an end and at 3-0, the game was very much Forest Town's even at this stage. I hoped the second half would go a lot smoother, which to some extent it did but it still wasn't easy. I psyched myself up at half time to have a good second half and forget the first. Despite the incidents I still felt as though personally I was having a good game and making the correct decisions. I wasn't allowing myself to be swayed by either set of coaches and fans and just stuck to the task at hand.

There were no major incidents in the second half, just a hell of a lot of goals. 7 to be precise, all going in Forest Town's favour leaving them with a 10-0 win. There was also just a lot of moaning from one side of the field for everything that went against the away side. At one point I got an almighty - though highly ironic cheer when I did give something their way, which was nice... There was a little dispute over the first goal of the half as a Forest Town player stretched to keep the ball in play, which he did by a country mile, but the linesman did flag for the throw in, probably very wary of the Blackwell coach just 2 feet away. I was merely 10 yards away though and could see that not even a portion of the ball had crossed the line let alone all of it but the Blackwell players stopped allowing the home side an easy goal. In fairness, the Blackwell manager didn't dispute it, I'm sure he could clearly see it was still in play but at this point looked like he'd lost the will to appeal and just told his players to enjoy the rest of the game as nothing was going in their favour. Murmours on the opposite side of the pitch from the Blackwell travellers were just as bad as they felt that the world was against them, having just witnessed a goal against them after the linesman had signalled a throw in.

I was pleased to call time on the game and was congratulated by many of the home fans and coaching side, knowing that I had got at least most decisions correct, and that I had well earnt the £19 after the stick taken by the other half. I had to pass the Blackwell parents on the way to the car and at first considered just waiting for them all to leave first before deciding I'd nothing to hide from and as long as I managed the situation well enough I should be ok. I got a handshake from 'the doctor' which I was pleased about as he was one of the Blackwell sides leading the protests, then despite some of the narkings of the parents, showing concern for one of the injured players went down well and we ended up discussing the lack of sportsmanship from Forest Town on a number of occasions, namely when one player had been felled and took a bump to the head, the home side were seen to be laughing. It was very disappointing but from my position there's not a great deal I could do other than issue warnings, which I did and nothing else became of it. Still, another day, another dollar!