A busy four days for me and my kit that has seen me officiate every day from Saturday through to Tuesday, 3 middles and 1 line:
- Sat 8th April Yeovil & District League Open Age Manor v Oddcombe 4-0
- Sun 9th April Yeovil & District Youth League U16 Wessex v Aller Park 5-0
- Mon 10th April Somerset Floodlight League U18 Glastonbury v Elmore 3-9 Assistant Ref
- Tue 11th April Yeovil & District League Open Age Pen Mill Athletic v Stoke 2-1
Enjoyed them all, I was a late replacement for Saturday’s game (my original game having been postponed earlier in the week) I’d been to my Friday night spinning class and gone for a run on Saturday morning – my legs were feeling heavy when I got a text asking me to do the game as the “original” ref had had to go to hospital.
A good game to ease back into the OA arena, Oddcombe have lost all games this season, and didn’t upset the form book, despite playing the team only one place above them – one place in the league, a huge chasm in ability. I take my hat off to Oddcombe, many players and teams would have packed it in long before now, but 20 games in, 20 defeats and a goal difference of -92, they are still turning out each week. An easy game to manage and referee on a beautifully warm afternoon.
Sunday morning saw me at Glastonbury FC to referee Wessex Youth in their final home game of the season, which they won comfortably. With one game left to play, their destiny is in their hands – win it and they win the league, lose, and their opponents of the day will be crowned champions. I took it as a compliment when the home team manger expressed disappointment that I shan’t be officiating that game (we refs, at this level, are pretty regional – hence I do a lot of Wessex games as they are so local to me, I’m unlikely to be appointed to their final game in distant Sherborne!) Another really enjoyable game – the standard of football at U15 & U16 in the Youth League far exceeds that in the Open Age (men’s) league – the boys tend to pass and play, the men hoof and hope.
Monday evening at it was back to Glastonbury to run the line in a Somerset Floodlight U18 league game. I really do enjoy working as a team of 3, it not only helps with the officiating, but it is that – working as a team – that makes it so much better, a much less lonely experience!
I don’t do it for the money, but it did make me realise that Monday night’s endeavours were below the minimum wage! As a lino, you get £15 + mileage (ref get’s 22 + mileage) – ref asked us (quite rightly) to arrive at 6.30 for a 7.30 kick off so we could do pitch inspections warm ups, player checks, briefings etc. Add in 90 mins of football and (not allowing for a slightly delayed kick off, added time, half time) that works out at £6 an hour. It is expenses, not wages, but an example worth keeping should HMRC ever try to suggest that we are being paid to officiate. (Plus we did get a nice plate of sausage & chips in the bar after the game!)
Tuesday evening and it was back to Yeovil for a 2nd division encounter in the Yeovil & District League, on a pitch that a few weeks ago was a bog but has since baked rock hard following the recent weeks of hot, dry weather. The corners where fine – full of lush, long grass, but the centre circle and both penalty areas were devoid of greenery and solid as cement. Had it been winter and this hard due to freezing, we wouldn’t have played, but for some reason its OK to do so in the summer (someone did give me a very good and convincing explanation as to why, but sadly I’ve forgotten their logic.)
For some time I thought it might turn out to be that elusive beast – a nil nil draw but shortly before half time, probably against the run of play, the visitors took the lead. Ten minutes into the second half the home side squared it and suddenly it became “interesting” (read: competitive, read a little feisty, read: tougher to ref) but I think I kept a good handle on the game, managed it well. With a number of vocal supporters & players, it could have become another Keinton v Braddford, but I’ve learnt, I was consistent (although reds may disagree!), I did my best and my best was good enough. I don’t know if it was despite the more challenging nature of the game, or because of it, that I enjoyed it more than Saturday’s one sided encounter.
And this time, rather than be riled by inane comments from the sideline I ignored them, or smirked inwardly at their foolishness. Hanging on to their 2-1 lead, whites were constantly asking “how long ref”, to which I would reply with the number of minutes to go. “Where’s he getting that time from?” howled a harridan from the side lines every time.
One felt like going over and explaining one’s detailed time keeping arrangements: like all refs, I’m a little paranoid about time so I wear two watches, and my fitbit, which also tells the time. I note the time we kick off, and add 45 mins so I know, if both my stopwatches fail, I’ll still know when to end the game. Then, on one watch, I have a countdown timer for 45 mins – this I don’t touch and so I know when the half is finished, and I can guess any extra time needed if my other stopwatch – which is counting up from zero, and I stop for stoppages – fails. So I had three ways to work out the time, all of which were giving me the same answer – that’s where I was getting the time from.
Oh, and I haven’t even mentioned the perils of the Archery club holding their Tuesday evening practice behind one of the goals. The joys of grass roots football … you couldn’t make it up!