Without a doubt this weekend was by far my most busiest, challenging and tiring so far on many levels as I took charge of 5 games over the 2 days, almost 6 hours of football, and some very tough games indeed.
It started easy enough though with 2 mini soccer games at Manor School. Manor FC U8's beat Teversal FC 2-1 in a close battle, whilst Manor FC Vipers U8's went down by 5 goals to 1 to Shirebrook Rangers. Both games were easy enough as expected.
I then made my way to Borrowash for my afternoon Central Midlands game where I was in the middle for the first time at this level since the beginning of November. I also had the pleasure of being informed just as I arrived at the ground that I was being assessed by Ernie Broughton, so I certainly had to be at my best as I continue in my quest for promotion.
The first thing I had to do on arrival was do a pitch inspection as there had been overnight frost and the ground had been pretty solid. A local referee had checked it earlier in the day and whilst it was unplayable at that time, he didn't want to call the game off if it improved over the day and so left it to me to decide whether it was fit to play on.
It was still quite solid underfoot and you could tell that a couple of inches down that the ground was still frozen but there was a good inch or two on the surface that was soft and the divots were soft so didn't pose a danger to the players so I was happy to allow the game to be played. A member of the away side (Heanor Town) management wasn't happy with the pitch but he was the only one moaning and as the decision was mine, the game was to be played.
My assessor arrived and we spoke about various things, from the pitch, expectations of me, fitness etc and he informed me that the pitch looked good and I was correct to allow the game to go ahead. I prepared for the match, had a breif warm up and then called the two teams out to start the game.
I try not to change my game just because I'm being assessed but I guess I am a little conscious throughout that he is there so I probably sharpen up in some areas. It was a difficult game on a difficult pitch with 2 physical sides and the pitch soon began to cut up and become very boggy in areas and so the tackles came in quick and fast. I had to be on the ball right from the off and cut out any tackles that I believe were reckless, making allowances for the fact that often it is difficult to avoid making contact with the player due to the conditions, but these still had to not pose a danger to the opposition.
There were a number of players sliding in at every opportunity and I judged each one on it's own merit, allowing play to go on if it was fair, playing advantages were possible, or stopping play if they were unfair. On the 16th minute I cautioned the Heanor Town right back after a period where there had been 3 or 4 harsh challenges and so I thought a card was necessary to control the situation. The tackle itself was worthy of a yellow card as the quick Borrowash winger had beaten his man and was heading for the box before being tripped by the offender. He accepted the card and the game swiftly moved on.
I had a worry at the start of the game as this was my first real challenge since the Xmas period that my fitness wasn't at where it should be but I didn't feel too bad out there, even on the heavy ground. I kept up with play well and was always close by when making a decision, whether it be to give a foul or to decide whether the flag from either [club] assistant was correct, as at times they were both quite out of line, not up with play.
At half time, I was happy that the half had gone well, the score was 1-1, which reflected how even the game was at that point, and I then spent half time speaking to the assessor. He said I was doing well and that the caution was spot on, came at the right time and set the tone for what I was happy or unhappy with. He mentioned that I was getting about the pitch well, didn't have any problems with my fitness or speed, and that I was controlling the game well. He gave me a few pointers to work on in the second half. Firstly to improve my signalling as I have a tendancy to not give a clear indication as to which way I have given a decision, and also to be more vocal to assist the signals.
I made every effort to improve this in the second half and so every decision after the interval came with a clear arm signal and a shout as to which way I had given it. This helped to iron out any confusions with close decisions and because I was being clear which way I was indicating, there were less debates against each call.
Borrowash began to get a foothold in the game and took the lead early on, and soon after there was controversy when I overuled the Heanor Town's assistant's flag as he indicated an offside against 2 players on the opposite side of the pitch from him. I was close to both and believed one could have been offside but was adament that the recipient of the ball had come from his own half and he went on to put Borrowash 3-1 up. The linesman didn't take well to this, throwing his flag to the floor and shouting to me. I spoke to him indicating my belief that the player who had the ball wasn't offside as I was in a good position to see this.
This incident, together with the fact Heanor were slipping out of the game took it's toll and Borrowash ran riot, eventually coming out 6-1 winners. I was still happy with my performance despite the controversy and pleased that I only needed the one caution to help control the game.
The assessor met me after the game and we discussed a number of things. He actually said that the assistant was correct and that I was wrong to overule him on this occasion, but seemed to understand why I did as he was very rarely level with play and so I had to use my own judgement on most of his decisions. I did go with him on most occasions but the one that I had chosen to ignore him looked to have had an impact.
Following the assistants frustration, he was even further from play for the remainder of the game and the assesor informed me that 2 more of the goals late on were offside but neither I nor the assistant was in a position to make the call, which was a little disappointing.
Overall, I was still pleased with my performance. I felt I controlled the game well, which was difficult due to the conditions and the 2 competitive sides. My fitness was fine, my signals were good, especially in the second half and I played some good advantages. However, due to the fact that I chose to ignore the assistant when he was in fact correct, and this led to 2 further mistakes with offside calls, I am not expecting the greatest of assessment reports or scores. I'll take it all in my stride though, learn from it and hope that it continues to improve my game.
