Match 19 - Willoughby Old Boys vs Cripps Old Boys

I thought it was all over, but it wasn’t! Having proclaimed last Wednesday to be my last match, I subsequently got invited to referee another game today – between the Old Boys teams from Willoughby and Cripps.

There were plenty of players I recognised in both teams. With Luke on one line and a Willoughby substitute on the other, we kicked off. Within a minute, it was kick off time again, as Cripps rushed into an early lead. They added a second in the 33^rd minute – defenders claimed that the ball had gone out of play but the Willoughby linesman (to his credit) told me that it was definitely a goal. Anyway, the 2-0 score at the end of the 40-minute half really didn’t reflect the fact that the game had been quite even, with both teams having their share of possession and chances. As always, I kept out of the way where I could, and played one particularly good advantage for which I got praise as we left the field at half time.

With the score at 2-0, the next goal would likely prove crucial to which way the game swung. In the end, somewhat disappointingly, Cripps got it in the 45^th minute – they did take their chances better overall. Willoughby pulled one back five minutes later, but Cripps secured a 4-1 victory when they added a fourth in the 73^rd minute.

Talking points for me were relatively few; a couple of times I didn’t know which way the decision should go and Luke was quick to notice my uncertainty! I seemed to manage to get in the way of play a couple of times, notably when a Willoughby player’s shot deflected off my head and out of play for a goal kick (they claimed a corner, of course!). I let things go which I perhaps could have pulled up, but the players just got on with it for the most part. Cripps players do like to engage in a bit of backchat now and again, but I just played along. Luke was determined that I should send someone off in my final game but, as usual, I didn’t show a single yellow card. There were a couple of occasions on which I might have done so, but I let them pass.

Knowing that this would likely be my final game of my three years, I gave a suitably dramatic final whistle, only for the arriving Hugh Stewart Old Boys team to invite us to referee again. I offered Luke the opportunity to do the game, and he accepted when he found out that they only had the pitch for an hour. In the end, their game against Cripps Freshers was something of a non-event, as we played only 40 minutes with a short break in the middle. Hugh Stu ran out comfortable 5-0 winners – the quickest thrashing I have witnessed in my time here! I ran one of the lines (we only had one linesman) and gave a few offsides and a foul, but there was nothing controversial to worry about for either of us.

As I write now, I am rather tired once again, having struggled through two games, the first in searing heat, which didn’t make it easy for anyone. Still, for someone as well built as I am I still seem to fare rather better than some of the noticeably slimmer players (not that there was anyone fatter than me out there!); I have to mention Caesari, who started whinging about being tired about 10 minutes into the 80!

Altogether, I think I’m now finished! The chances of getting any more games in the last few days of term are fairly small, although I suppose you never know. The game this afternoon was a nice way to go out though, particularly with some of the Cripps players with whom my time refereeing has been inextricably linked. Assuming that is the case, my next note will be my end of season review, detailing all the games I’ve been involved in this year, and then I will pen a review of my three years, picking out some of the highlights, lowlights, and the bizarre and amusing moments. As someone once said - they think it’s all over…it (almost) is now!

Matches 17 & 18 - The Jubilee Cup and the Geography battle

My busy week of football continued with two matches this afternoon! The second I had known about for several weeks but the first was thrust upon me only some 24 hours before. In this piece, I shall describe both, and they were somewhat different.

The first was the 'Jubilee Cup' game between Newark Hall and Southwell Hall. Like any neighbouring halls, they share something of a rivalry and this week a whole range of sporting events were taking place between them to contest the Jubilee Cup, with this afternoon's football match being one of them. The game also pitted the winners of the IMS Cup against the winners of the Plate, so both teams must surely have had good seasons.

Of course, that's not to say it would be an easy afternoon for me. Local derbies can be volatile, so I figured I might need my wits about me. Early on, things started pretty well though - some nice easy fouls and nothing controversial. The main moment of controversy came about 20 minutes in - with a pivotal decision. As a Southwell forward was heading into the area his shirt appeared to be pulled and he went down. He was bearing down on goal, so any foul should really lead to a sending off in that situation. I had to make an instant judgement, and went for the grass-cutter to wave the claim away. Why? Well, its a decision you see given sometimes, but equally you often don't. I went with my gut reaction - it certainly wasn't a stonewall penalty. Had it been on TV, some pundits would have lambasted me for not giving it - others would have been equally critical if I had. I don't think I could really win either way. The benefit of the doubt went to the defence, and I am happy with the decision. Southwell weren't though, and when I refused them a free kick on the edge of their own area some minutes later, after which Newark then hit the post, they weren't impressed. Newark did take the lead in the 32nd minute, and thats how it stayed at half-time.

The second half saw the game open up more, and as the half got going I sensed my interventions were being needed less and I was able to start playing advantage more. Newark went through a period midway through the half where they thought I wasn't giving them anything too, so I clearly wasn't being biased! In the end, they proved too strong for Southwell, adding a second in the 72nd minute with a looping header and then two further goals in the last five minutes to add a gloss to the scoreline which didn't really reflect a competitive game between two fairly well-matched teams. The difference was perhaps that Newark created more chances - the Newark keeper didn't really have a difficult save to make and, although Southwell hit the post in the second half, that was about it. The better team won.

The game could have been more difficult for me than it was. Opinion will be divided on the penalty claim - I'm happy with how I saw it - but putting that to one side I think that otherwise I did well. I probably got a few of the basic decisions wrong at times (there seemed a period in the second half where I made a few bizarre calls perhaps) but I kept the game under control without showing a card. I let the tackles come in, I let the players be physical and didn't make it stop-start, trying to keep it flowing, particularly in the second half where the game opened up more. You often sense how games change in mood when you referee them, and I sensed as the game wore on that I could take more chances and let things go a little more. Altogether, a good afternoon's work.

I then had just under an hour to relax before my next game. This one was between the Geography Society (students) and Geography lecturers. I gathered that this game is an annual fixture, and indeed the lecturers were resplendent in their own sky blue kit! They had some younger players (perhaps PhD students) but some of them were getting on, and so they were allowed to play with 12 men and the game was restricted to two 30-minute halves.

I wondered if I would run out of space for all the goals on my sheet, but it wasn't like that at all. Having had a debatable penalty decision in my first game, I then had an obvious one in this game as a GeogSoc forward was unceremoniously tripped by a defender in the area. The penalty was scored. However, the lecturers went almost straight up the other end and equalised! 1-1, and it was something of a surprise. The game was a far more relaxed affair than the previous one, with less tension, although some of the tackles weren't particularly well-timed. When another lecturer tripped a GeogSoc forward in the area before half time, I had no choice but to point to the spot again! This time, however, the penalty was hit against the post. 1-1 at half time then.

Into the second half, and the students gradually began to control the game. They went ahead thanks to a beautifully headed own goal in the 35th minute, added a third in the 47th (despite claims of offside - as I had no linesman I gave the goal even though the claims were probably justified), and later added another two. I then ruled out a goal for offside at the end, although apparently the ball came off a defender this time - although the forward was definitely in an offside position! It just shows how difficult it is to spot these things when you have no assistants - with so many players and so many things to watch you can't have you're eyes in that many places at once. The only other incident of note was a bad tackle by a lecturer who came right through poor Jamie. I should have booked him for it - perhaps I was sympathetic somehow to the 'age thing', but I gave him a yellow when he committed another foul later on - to the joy of both the students and his colleagues on the touchline!

In the end, the socreline of 5-1 to GeogSoc appears comfortable but it doesn't really tell the whole story. The better team clearly won, but it was closer than that for a long while - as the game wore on, tiredness got to the lecturers and they made more mistakes. The game was great fun to referee, and the lecturers claimed for the most ludicrous decisions at times! In the end, despite having been worried about potential problems in my earlier game, the only yellow card came in the second encounter!

And that may well be that. I don't now have any more matches left at this stage - whether I'll receive any more invitations over the course of the next week or so remains to be seen. But it could well be that I have now bowed out of refereeing football here at Nottingham. I won't get all emotional about that now though - I'll save that for my end-of-season review!

Match 16 - Willoughby First and Second Years

Today's match at least ensured I got out of bed early! A 10.30 kick-off for this one after the Uni team had asked Willoughby to move the time of their first v second years game as they had a tournament taking place during the afternoon.

The first years, who I had refereed a couple of times during the year, had always struck me as a very good footballing side. They dominated possession for the first minute or so, and then promptly conceded a goal after a mix-up between the keeper and defender. 1-0 to the second years then. The first years had the lion's share of possession in the first half, and most of the play seemed to be in the half they were attacking. It took until two minutes before the break for them to snatch an equaliser. The half was one of the easiest I've refereed - I think there were only about three fouls for me to give! Along, of course, with the customary bits of advantage play.

Into the second half, and the first years struck the first blow in the 49th minute. There were muted claims that there had been a foul in the build up - I hadn't had a very clear view and Luke running the line gave nothing - he reckoned the defender fell over by himself. The half was much more even, and as it wore on began to flow from end to end with both teams having opportunities. However, the first years perhaps had the better of the chances, and extended their lead in the 68th minute despite claims of offside - Luke kept his flag down. An own goal in the 77th minute added a fourth goal for them and things were pretty comfortable. The second years scored with the last kick of the game but by then it was academic, and the first years completed a fairly comfortable 4-2 win.

It was not a testing game to referee - the most argument seemed to be over my lenient interpretation of handballs. The players generally just got on with it, and I tried to keep play flowing where I could. Altogether, an enjoyable morning's work. The right team won as well I think - the first years played some excellent passing football (although I won't deny the contribution the second year's made to the game).

Match 15 - Cripps vs Rutland

Two freshers teams for me today, as Cripps had arranged a match against Rutland to take place just before exams began. I called a halt to my revision and headed down to University Park to referee it. I usually mention the weather in my reports - well in this game we had heavy downpours and bright sunshine all thrown in!

I thought Rutland had the better of the opening minutes, yet it was Cripps who took the lead. It came from the first free kick (some 9 minutes in) - the Cripps player took a shot, and the Rutland keeper parried it into the path of another Cripps player who had the simple task of scoring.

Rutland had a good side - in fact the two teams were pretty evenly matched. I tried to set a fairly low tolerance on fouls - getting all the late challenges but letting some of the more minor physical contact go. And of course I tried to keep the game flowing by playing advantage - as usual this worked better in some situations than in others. Cripps had a couple of penalty appeals but I turned them down.

We were limited to 40-minute halves, and the game continued apace after the turnaround. Rutland got their equaliser in the 54th minute, an audacious shot from the right hand edge of the penalty area - I'm not sure if it was intentional or not! The game passed without incident for the most part - of course I missed things and got things wrong, but not that influenced the outcome. I turned down virtually all the appeals for handball on the grounds that players were having the ball struck at them rather than deliberately handling it.

With a pretty frenetic 80 minutes coming to an end, and the scores level, there was, as ever, a decision to make. With no-one else coming to use the pitch, we settled on two ten-minute halves of extra-time, which were just as even and couldn't separate the teams. And so it was to penalties.

For the first six kicks, the two teams had an identical record. Rutland took first, and their first kick was saved, before the Cripps player blazed over. The next four each were all converted (some more easily than others!), taking us to sudden death. Rutland's player hit the bar with his kick, leaving Cripps with a great chance to secure the win, but the Rutland keeper managed to pull off the save. Rutland converted their seventh kick, and the keeper again came to their aid in saving the next Cripps kick, giving Rutland a 5-4 win on penalties.

Altogether, I enjoyed the match as ever, a pretty even encounter between two well-matched teams. I tried to let the game flow while clamping down on the worst of the challenges - and there were a few late tackles. However, the players were all quite happy with my handling of the game - I think they were happy just to have a referee! I was also amused by the Rutland player who was clearly more used to playing rugby - he is the first player in three years to have called me 'sir'! The game was a nice break from revision, and I'm sure there will be a couple more games to follow after exams.

Match 14 - Law Society vs Baker and McKenzie

The games are coming thick and fast for me at the moment. My next task was to referee a Friday night friendly encounter between Law Society and the Law firm Baker and McKenzie. LawSoc have several players with whom I am familiar, notably a couple of Cripps stalwarts - its always nice to see some familiar faces when I take charge of a game. The day had been a mixed one weather wise, but the 3G pitch was bathed in sunshine as we kicked off early in the evening.

The start was frenetic, with everyone chasing the ball wherever it went! Both teams seemed to lack a formation as such! Now, I rarely manage to describe every goal in the games I referee, and this will be so much more true in this game - there were thirteen! I've just had a quick check back through my records as to the games with the most goals which I have previously refereed. I have twice refereed a game with 10 goals - Wednesday's game was one of them, as well as a game two years ago between Nightingale and Rutland in gale force winds! Today's thirteen beats that record comfortably. I did, however, run the line to Doug two years ago on a BUSA game between Nottingham seconds and De Montford seconds, which Nottingham won 10-5!

Anyway, to return to the record-breaking game. Baker took the lead 5 minutes in, largely thanks to their powerful but skilled forward who was clearly their best player. He reminded me of Dider Drogba, except without the diving and swearing at the TV camera. They held the lead for a good part of the half; we had a stoppage midway through the half as a Baker played was badly injured in a challenge, so both teams had a chance to regroup. Immediately afterwards, LawSoc equalised; two minutes later they took the lead, and in the 40th minute they made it 3-1 (which came from a throw-in which I had reversed due to a foul throw). And so it remained at half-time.

The start of the second half was most bizarre, as within seven minutes of the restart it had become 6-1. I must make mention of LawSoc sports sec Chris's effort, which caught everyone by surprise, beating the keeper and nestling in the net from a ridiculously narrow angle (I think it was the 4th goal). I had to think for a minute to make sure what I had seen had actually happened, but it was definitely a goal - fluke or otherwise! Baker made it 6-2 in the 58th minute, before the goals dried up for 14 minutes! They pulled another back to 6-3, before another quickfire set of three goals in six minutes brought LawSoc's lead to 9-3. One of the goals came when a LawSoc forward was almost certainly offside, but I had no linesman at that point and so had to give the benefit of the doubt to the attacker and allow the goal - it didn't exactly affect the result in any case!

Baker had a series of penalty claims in the second half. The first two came in quick succession - first the forward I mention earlier went down but I wasn't sure as to the contact among the tangle of legs so let play continue. Then another player went down rather dramatically, and I wasn't convinced either - it almost looked like a dive. I was more sure of waving this one away. The next was the most convincing - a handball claim. I am probably too soft on handballs, and doubtless other referees would have pointed to the spot. I wonder if I should have too. The defender's arm was out and it clearly struck him - I couldn't have been better positioned, but my instincts at the time suggested the ball was just hit at him. I was immediately likened to Tom Henning Ovrebo! In any case, Baker got their penalty in the 89th minute when Caesari comprehensively bundled over the Baker striker and this time I had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. I was finally convinced, and unlike Ovrebo I had given one of the four decisions! The penalty was scored by the same striker to complete the goalfest, and shortly afterwards I blew for time on a 9-4 win for LawSoc.

Altogether, a most satisfactory evening for me. The game wasn't particularly challenging, and I tried to keep play flowing by playing lots of advantages, and this was pretty successful. I ignored a few of the more minor offences at times, but it didn't matter and I got the major fouls right. That handball claim is perhaps an error - I went with my instinct at the time. The penalty at the end and one late tackle by Lee Battu were about the only significantly poor challenges, although I kept my cards in my pocket as always! The linesmen I had varied in their reliability, which didn't always help, and I was left without one at the crucial moment for the one LawSoc goal. I don't really think it matters though - the game was a bit of fun and I'm sure both teams enjoyed it. It certainly didn't lack goals or action!

My season is coming to an end now, although I'm hoping that there will still be a couple of matches left for me to referee after exams. My time at university is coming to an end too, and with it my refereeing. I'm really enjoying all the matches at the moment, so its good to be finishing on a high!

The Ovrebo Saga - Part 2

Unsurprisingly, the fallout from Wednesday night's encounter at Stamford Bridge has been considerable. I want to put pen to paper now, giving my honest view on some of the reaction to it all.

There seem to be various theories being banded about regarding Wednesday night's game. The first is that Ovrebo was the wrong choice to referee this game, or that he was too inexperienced. Wrong on both counts for me. The 42-year old psychologist from Oslo has been a FIFA referee for 15 years. England's most experienced International referee, Mike Riley, has been on the list for only 10 years. Ovrebo has racked up more experience than any of our English officials. He has been voted Norweigan referee of the year five times. He was refereed their Cup final twice. He has taken charge of over 20 Champions League encounters. Could he have been better prepared for Wednesday night? Not much. It was the first game he has refereed at such a late stage in the Champions League, but if he is ruled out because he hasn't done such a game before, then eventually we would run out of possible officials! Everyone has to be refereeing such a game for the first time at some point. From what I have seen, Ovrebo is a calm referee who doesn't make a fuss of things and gets on with the job. He has the imposing physical presence which should command respect. Altogether, a good choice for a match like this, as far as I'm concerned.

The next theory is that UEFA didn't want an all-English final again. That may be true, but did it translate to events on the pitch on Wednesday night? Of course not. If UEFA had told Ovrebo to make Barcelona win, then why would he have sent off Abidal when, even if he thought it was a foul, it could be argued that a yellow card would have sufficed? Frankly, whenever there is a suggestion that a referee has acted with any partiality during a game, I would be the first to dismiss it. As someone who referees, the idea that you should go out to referee with the aim of influencing the outcome of the match is just odd. There are probably officials who do that (as corruption cases in Italy and other places show) but for such officials to get to this level is inconceivable. There may be subconcious things which influence your decisions (such as a manager's comments pre-match) but they are exactly that - subconcious.

So, for me, Ovrebo was the right choice for this match, and his decisions are not the result of some UEFA instruction to ensure Barcelona made the final. Ovrebo simply had a bad game at a bad time. And with a bad team too - that team being Chelsea. The reaction of Chelsea players to things going against them has, time and again, been ridiculous.

And I think the blame lies with one man - a man who is currently celebrating winning Serie A. Until Jose Mourinho arrived at Chelsea, they as a team were no worse than any other in terms of their attitude to referees. Every team will have arguments, quarrels and give out criticisms - it happens at times - and Chelsea were no different. The likes of John Terry just got on with the game. Mourinho introduced a different culture - he made it acceptable for the Chelsea players to berate referees. He stirred things up in the press, before and after matches. He physically went mad during games. And the players at the time saw this, and followed the example of their coach. The likes of Terry, Drogba and Ballack changed their way of thinking. After Mourinho left, none of his successors (Grant, Scolari or Hiddink) have had such a mentality. But the culture change has stayed with the players, who still think Mourinho's behaviour to be acceptable. Now it is Hiddink's comments which are fairly moderate, while his players are ranting and raving to the press. If action had been taken while Mourinho was at Chelsea, action which made it quite evident that such behaviour is unacceptable, then maybe, just maybe, the events of Wednesday night would not have unfolded in the same way.

The Chelsea press machine has swung into action now, as they furiously attempt to restrain the criticism and turn their backs on some of the shameful events of Wednesday. UEFA are looking into what has happened - Drogba and Ballack will undoubtedly and deservedly receive some personal sanction (even if Drogba has since apologised), while comments by Bosingwa that Ovrebo was a 'thief' will demand some investigation too. John Terry's outspoken comments have apparently provoked investigations too.

And of course, with the players harranging the referee, certain other individuals (so called 'fans') take it upon themselves to do the same. That Ovrebo had to be smuggled out of the UK and is currently receiving police protection following death threats is a shameful indictment on our society. It has all happened before of course - remember Anders Frisk and Urs Meier, both driven to retirement. Perhaps the British aren't so polite and well-mannered after all. At the end of the day, what happened on Wednesday was a game of football. It was a hugely high-profile and important game, but it was still a game. Sadly, Bill Shankly's saying seems to ring true for some people - football is more important than life and death. Of course it isn't. Both the players involved and those fans who take things too far need to realise this. Ovrebo doesn't deserve any of what has happened to him so far. If UEFA choose to punish him with demotion, then maybe that is justified, but the personal attacks? No-one deserves that at all.

The buck is now in UEFA's court. We have seen this sort of thing happen before after high-profile errors by referees. And UEFA didn't do enough, so it has happened again. They now need to make it clear through the action they take that what has happened in the past two days, both during and after the match, is totally unacceptable. If they do that, and can set a precedent, then that will be at least one positive thing to emerge from this mess. If, however, they deal weakly with those involved, then the implication is simple - this sort of thing is acceptable, and can happen again. And it will.

Should Ovrebo referee again? I hope he will. I hope he won't retire, and I hope he will still referee international matches, as I still believe he is a good referee. You don't become a bad referee after one game. Would I blame him if he gave it up? Of course not - not after what he has been through. If he does, then that is three top officials who have been lost because of an over-reaction to their honest decisions. How many more will follow? If we keep losing officials like this, the end result will only be that the quality of officials at the top level will go down, as more junior officials are sought to replace those who quit.

I await UEFA's actions with interest. As the story continues to develop next week, lets see if they are strong and take the action they should. I'm not holding my breath.

The woes of Rosetti and Øvrebø

I haven't written about events in high-profile football matches for a while. Even Howard Webb's penalty shocker at Old Trafford didn't cause me to pick up my pen, but this week's Champions League semi-final second legs have.

For the record, I think the refereeing in the Champions League knockout stages has been very good so far. We have seen several big games go by with the referees barely noticed. Last week, in the first legs of the semi-finals, I thought both officials did well. At the Nou Camp, Wolfgang Stark tried (amidst the pettiness and stupidity of a Barca vs Chelsea game) to give the game some flow. Credit to him, he could have ended up racking up a load of bookings and giving countless free kicks, but he refereed with common sense. Claus Bo Larsen at Old Trafford last Wednesday had a far easier task, but blended beautifully into the background and had a superb game (not for the first time this year - he did the same in the first leg of Liverpool v Chelsea). So, all good. Until this week.

Both of the appointed referees this week are referees that I like and rate. Italian Roberto Rosetti usually performs with common sense, something for which some Italian referees are not known. He isn't usually fussy, and the Euro 2008 final is evidence that he is trusted with big games. He did the second leg semi of Chelsea vs Liverpool last year, and was excellent. I've also been a fan of Norway's Tom Henning Øvrebø for some time. He just does the job - no histronics - and was dreadfully unlucky to be sent home early from Euro 2008, with the mediocre Herbert Fandel staying on ahead of him.

To the Emirates on Tuesday then. The game itself wasn't a great spectacle - Manchester United saw to that in the first 11 minutes (credit to them - they outplayed Arsenal completely). Rosetti didn't exactly help the spectacle either though - he was unusually fussy, giving a multitude of soft decisions, most of which seemed to favour Manchester United. His foul recognition was poor all night. Thankfully, these were mostly minor decisions. For 75 minutes. Then the one big decision goes against Manchester United, and its a wrong one. Darren Fletcher's tackle was perfectly executed. To bring in the referee's viewpoint (and some referees will support the decision of a foul here, even if I don't) - the referee can only consider that a foul if he considers the challenge to be made in a 'careless' manner. Any tackle that is consider careless, reckless or dangerous is penalised, no matter if the ball is won. To add to that definition, from the Laws:
"Careless” means that the player has shown a lack of attention or consideration when making a challenge or that he acted without precaution.
Do I think Fletcher was careless? I think he could hardly have done any more to take care. He can't really have taken any more precaution or shown any more consideration for his opponent. He won the ball fair and square, and the fact that his trailing leg brought the player down is irrelevant - the sort of contact that happens all the time in football. A poor decision from a top referee. Incidentally, the red card which follows the foul is academic - it is only the foul itself I have a problem with. The fact that the decision can't be overturned is ludicrous, and a point to which I shall return shortly. Overall, a poor night for Rosetti, both in general play and on the big decision.

To Stamford Bridge. Rosetti had a poor night on Tuesday. Øvrebø, of whom I am also a fan, was worse on Wednesday. He was nothing short of utterly dreadful. Now, this wasn't an easy game to referee, and the players didn't help him one iota, but he was hopeless. Lets go through this extraordinary encounter blow by blow.

The four Chelsea penalty appeals first of all. The first - on Malouda - I believe he has given the foul for the challenge which was actually made in the area. He could clearly see this, so why he hasn't pointed to the spot I don't know. The foul outside the area was minor. He was perfectly positioned. Dreadful decision. Abidal on Drogba - thats also a penalty for me, and probably a red card to follow. The Pique handball - I'll offer a little leeway on this, as the ball was hit straight at him, although the position of his arm makes it hard to ignore. The one at the end which Ballack was so furious about - never in a million years. So of the four - two definites, one maybe, one never. In my opinion of course.

The red card. Once again, the sending off is correct but the foul which leads to it is not. Its not a foul, and was symptomatic of Øvrebø's poor foul detection all night. He never got to grips with what was and wasn't a genuine offence, with players dropping to the turf likes flies. Anelka clipped his own heels. Like I said, I do think the position rightly leads to a sending off, but the foul decision is a poor one.

So a dreadful game all round from Øvrebø, by far the worst showing I have ever seen from him, and the worst showing in a Champions League match in some time. But unfortunately the teams come out of it with little credit either. I thought Barcelona were whingers. They surrounded the referee frequently, whenever a decision went against them. They played their part in turning the game into the petty squabble that it was. Poor from them. But Chelsea come out of it with less credit. Ballack should have been sent off for chasing and man-handling the referee after that last penalty appeal. Øvrebø should have stopped play and sent him down the tunnel - what he did was totally unacceptable. As for Drogba, the man was out of control. The yellow card at the end was a kind of token gesture. UEFA will deal with his actions, and rightly so, because no matter how bad Øvrebø was, that is no way to behave, especially in the public eye. The example that it sets is terrible. Players can get frustrated, but to that extent it is quite simply ridiculous. Chelsea, yet again, have major issues with controlling their players and respecting officials. It can't go on.

The one man who I can find some time for in all this is Guus Hiddink. He comes across to me as a very decent person. He will struggle not to criticise the referee, but the way in which he does so will I'm sure be done in his calm, assured manner. Imagine the chaos if Mourinho had been Chelsea manager during this game! Unthinkable. Hiddink kept his calm at the end when everything else was going off around him, and he strikes me as someone who just gets on with his own game and doesn't indulge in petty squabbles or personal criticism, towards both referees and opponents. The Premier League needs more managers like him, and its a shame he isn't staying on at Chelsea next year.

I referred earlier to the injustice of the lack of appeal on decisions. We have seen this amply demonstrated in the cases of both Fletcher and Abidal, both of whom will now miss the final. It is frankly ludicrous that they will do so on the basis of such obvious errors, and I feel sorry for both of them. I don't believe the appeals system in this country does its job properly, but at least it has a chance of overturning some wrong decisions. UEFA need to look at this, as players should not be missing these big occasions on account of wrong decisions.

There are so many emotions mixed in with all of this. The media will have their circus, and the two referees will be villified in the papers. The pressure is on whoever does the final now, given what has gone before. To this point, we have had strong performances throughout the knockout stages, but Rosetti and Øvrebø were dreadful. Was it wrong to appoint them? Not at all - they're both perfectly capable referees - they just had bad games. Hopefully, they'll recover, although they'll always be tarnished by the memory of these games.

But finally, to bring just the slightest note of positivity amidst all this criticism, just maybe tonight reminded me why I love football. No matter what you're expecting, football just throws something completely different at you. You think you've seen everything, and then along comes a game like tonight's. It has been an extraordinary evening - one that will live long in the memory for all the wrong reasons - and the repurcussions will last for some days. But its part of what makes the game so interesting and so fascinating, and that's just why we love it, and is why I'll be out refereeing again on Friday.

Match 13 - Notts Uni XI vs IMS All-stars

For the second year running I was invited to take charge of this encounter, which pits a selection of players from the university teams against a selection of players from the intra-mural leagues. Last year, the game was a very relaxed affair, with the university team running out 7-1 winners.

This year's game seemed far more serious. Mike Round, the IMS football officer, had amassed a large squad of players from many of the IMS teams. I recognised several players from the Cripps, Newark, Nightingale and Broadgate Park freshers teams. They had something like 20-25 players, so finding people to run the line from them would prove no problem! I've no idea how many of the Uni team players were first-teamers, although I did recognise Mike Morenas, an ex-Nightingaler.

The IMS All-Stars started well. They competed for everything, and it was immediately obvious that it wouldn't be the walkover it was last year. In fact, it was IMS who took the lead in the 20th minute, and doubled it two minutes later as a free kick was cleared out to a player on the far side, who finished it very nicely. By the half-hour, it was 3-0! This was a real surprise, as I too had expected the Uni team to run out comfortable winners again. The IMS players had gelled really well and were working hard, even if some of the defending from the Uni team left a lot to be desired. However, by half-time the lead had been reduced to 3-2, with goals in the 35th and 41st minutes, the second shortly after we had had a break following a clash of heads - I don't think the IMS players had woken up after the stoppage! I didn't have a lot to do - perhaps I called a couple of things wrongly, but no major issues in the first half.

Mike decided that the only way to give everyone a game for IMS was to send out a completely different eleven for the second half. Whether they didn't perform quite as well or whether the Uni team improved dramatically I don't know, but it was 3-3 within 5 minutes. The Uni team had found their rhythm, and I have to admit it was a joy to watch. They weren't hoofing it up in the air - they were passing it along the ground, looking for space, constructing some nice moves, perhaps the 'beautiful game' at its best. Thats not to say the IMS players didn't contribute - they also gave a good account of themselves in a half of football which flowed from end-to-end virtually without stoppages. In terms of quality, it was one of the best I have refereed. I gave about half a dozen free kicks, but also tried to make my contribution to allowing a flowing game, and I could sit back and let the players do the talking. It was a great half of football to referee. The Uni team took the lead for the first time in the 63rd minute, and added their fifth in the 80th minute. There were hopes of an IMS comeback as they pulled one back to make it 5-4 with two minutes to go, but the two-goal advantage was restored shortly afterwards, and thats how things finished. The only incident of note as far as I was concerned was when a Uni player hit a shot, which the keeper tipped onto the crossbar and which then bounced down. The linesman wasn't in line to make any judgement, and I had no idea whether it had crossed the line, so I could only wave play on. We had had virtually no stoppages in the whole half, so I played just a minute of added time and then brought a most entertaining game of football to an end.

The game was one of the most straightforward I have refereed in my time at Nottingham. The players must take some credit for just getting on with the game - there were no arguments, no backchat and no confrontations. I would also like my share of the credit too(!) - for giving the game every opportunity to flow. The football was excellent, in particular in the second half, where I thought I got everything just about spot on. I whistled the clear fouls, and let everything else go. The assistants also contributed and helped me, with their interventions being just when necessary. While I suppose some might consider the game boring to referee because there is virtually nothing to do, I personally think that the referee should enjoy these kinds of games - I love football, and to see a good quality, flowing game is great. It balances out all the more difficult games anyhow! I'll be back in action again on Friday, and will return with another report then.

Match 12 - Cripps First and Second Years

This week has seen me involved in two games between a freshers' and second years' team. On Sunday, I assisted Luke as Nightingale's second years beat their freshers team 3-2. Today roles were reversed as I refereed the corresponding game between the Cripps teams.

We were on the astro pitch, in weather conditions which weren't exactly ideal. It was warm and sunny - but too warm really. I predicted some exhaustion to follow. As we only had the pitch for a limited time (although as it was no-one turned up at the end) we were limited to two 40-minute halves.

The opening period of the game had a nice flow to it, although it lacked clearcut chances. It was frenetic, but unproductive. I recall only one intervention from me in the early stages, and indeed I was merely a passenger for most of the first half, with minimal interventions - which suited me just fine. The second years took the lead in the 25th minute. It was a rather scrappy goal, coming from a corner, from which defender and goalkeeper collided, leaving the rather surprised forward with the simple task of slotting the ball home. The freshers complained that the ball was rolling as the corner was taken, which it probably was, but it was difficult to keep it still on the sloping pitch and I had let this go on several other occasions. They were merely finding something to moan about. In any case, they equalised in the 31st minute after a splendid breakaway goal and a neat exchange of passes. Half-time arrived, with the score at 1-1 and the teams evenly matched.

The second years started the second half poorly and were behind within two minutes. It was again from a corner, although this time it was perhaps the marking at fault, although the delivery and header were both excellent. The freshers held a 2-1 lead. The second years took a while to respond, but gradually improved as the half wore on. I had kept in the background until the second years had a penalty appeal. Their forward was attacking on the left hand side and got the ball off the defender - I considered giving a foul but let it pass. As he headed into the area, there was some shirt-pulling going on, but I thought both parties were engaging in a bit (even if the defender was more at fault) and that it wasn't enough for me to give a penalty. I was surprised to find his shirt had ripped. I didn't think there had been that much in the incident at all. I went with my gut reaction at the time, and I'm still slightly mystified as to how quite so much damage was done.

Throughout the second half, players were falling down at regular intervals with cramp, and there had been plenty of substitutions. With no-one coming to use the pitch, I elected to play five minutes of stoppage time, which was obviously better received by one team than the other! About a minute in, I stopped play for an offside against the freshers (in fact they kept the ball and I could have played on, but never mind), and some time after the whistle had blown one of the freshers kicked the ball over the fence out of the court. Given the time that had elapsed since the whistle, I booked him for delaying the restart. It took the best part of two minutes for the ball to be fetched, but when we restarted there were still four minutes to play.

Yet it wasn't over. The second years got the equaliser they so desperately wanted, and it came from an unlikely source - a beautiful header by a fresher. Own goals are always painful, but as an equaliser in the depths of injury time they are even more so. Plenty of opportunities for some banter there! Soon after, I blew the final whistle, sparking a huge debate as to whether we should play extra-time or go straight to penalties. I thought that the teams should decide - I'm not a dictator on such matters! Eventually, we settled on two 10-minute halves of extra time.

The second half had to be cancelled when another group turned up to take over the court. The first half was notable for only two reasons from my point of view - a claim that I should book a second year after he had had the ball kicked at him whilst retreating from a free kick. I merely ordered a retake - I don't want players getting others booked purposely. The other was when a fresher thought he had been fouled and immediately chopped down an opponent - a senseless thing to do as the decision was my fault, not his opponent's! Perhaps I should have booked him for his stupidity.

As the second half was cancelled, we then went straight to penalties, still having one half of the pitch free to ourselves. The penalty shootout was close - both teams missed their first penalty (including a spectacular blaze over from Caesari), with both then scoring each of their next three. 3-3, with one take each before sudden death. As the second year tucked his away confidently, the fresher came up and I reminded him he needed to score, to which I got a sarcastic response! He couldn't though. Neither keeper actually made a save - the three takers who failed to score all missed the target. To clarify, the second years then who triumphed 4-3 on penalties.

Altogether, it was an entertaining match which had a nice flow to it. I felt I did my job - there may be arguments about the penalty I didn't give but my instincts at the time told me not to. I can't change it now, and I'm not unhappy with the decision. I think it is the first time I have booked a player for a technical offence, but it was certainly a deserved one! Overall, I enjoyed the game and hope that the players did too!

Match 11 - Raleigh Park vs Faraday (Loughborough)

Today, it was another of those days which you look out for in the intra-mural calendar - the IMS Varsity. Once again, Loughborough's finest intra-mural teams played Nottingham's, and this year it was Nottingham's turn to host it. Nottingham don't have a very good record in these encounters - I refereed two years ago when both Nottingham teams lost on their home ground, and last year I went down to Loughborough to run the line for both games, and again Loughborough completed a clean sweep in the football. This year, it was Cripps Old Boys and Raleigh Park freshers who were Nottingham's representatives. The Cripps game was refereed by the SU's Education Officer, Craig Cox, who is a Level 4 referee, leaving me to do Raleigh Park's encounter against Faraday from Loughborough.

The first half was far from my greatest half of football. Raleigh took an early lead 3 minutes in, but the game was quite physical and I sensed I wasn't totally on top of it. As always, I wanted to try and give the game some flow, but the tackles were coming in rather at times and I probably wasn't judging them correctly. That said, it never looked like spiralling out of control, so I did enough. The first half was a half of few chances too; neither team could really create many clearcut opportunities. I was perhaps penalising some soft fouls while missing some more obvious ones, but I was relieved to get through to half-time with no cards and no major hassle.

In the second half, things seemed to settle down rather more. Immediately, I got into my rhythm and the players seemed far more accepting of what I was giving. In the 54th minute, I gave one of the easiest penalty decisions I'll ever have to give - I was looking straight at play as a Raleigh defender inexplicably stuck up his hand and palmed the ball away. Why he did it I don't know, but the appeal was loud and I instantly pointed to the spot. With the penalty being scored (just!) Faraday were back on level terms.

They then proceeded to dominate most of the rest of the half, and once again Loughborough's sporting prowess showed through. They had much the better of play, with some very good chances, notably at set pieces. I turned down a penalty appeal soon after as the ball was crossed in and two players collided - I couldn't really see who instigated the contact so it was best just to let play go on. However, they added further goals in the 72nd and 77th minutes, and I think Raleigh had rather run out of steam by then. Raleigh contended that I was giving Faraday all the decisions - I was simply calling it as I saw it. The decisions were mostly only corners and throw-ins anyway, so nothing major, and the only real big decision I gave was the penalty, which was clear as day. The contest was all but over, and Faraday won 3-1.

Overall, not my greatest game ever, particularly in the first half, but I got through it and got the big decisions right. Once again, Loughborough completed a clean sweep in the football as Cripps Old Boys also lost out, this time 3-0. It is always a tough ask for the Nottingham teams, and I thought Raleigh equitted themselves pretty well, but in the end Loughborough had the class to overcome them. Thats the end of football for the term now - whether there will be any other games left for me to handle after Easter remains to be seen.

Match 10 - The IMS Cup Final

IMS Finals day is always a day I look out for in the intra-mural football calendar. Two years ago, we had an absolute goal fest in both the Cup and Plate finals - you can read about this in Tale No. 32 on Facebook (and I'm now on No. 161!). That day Broadgate Park beat Cripps 4-2 in the Plate Final, which I refereed, while Doug handled an even more dramatic Cup final, in which Sherwood beat Derby 7-3. Last year, it was completely different - I once again refereed the Plate Final, which saw Sherwood beat Raleigh Park in one of the worst games in my time at Nottingham (see Tale No. 94 for that). With the Cup final also finishing 1-0, it wasn't a great day of football!

So, what would this year bring? At the third time of asking, I got the opportunity to referee the Cup final between Broadgate Park and Newark, while Luke did the Plate final between Southwell and Lenton & Wortley. Which way would today's games go - to the drama of two years ago or the mundane affairs of last year?

We started late, and it was my fault - I forgot my boots! Realising with 15 minutes to spare, I rushed home to get them, with the result that both games started some 10 minutes late. There was a healthy crowd on the sidelines, with both teams having a good number of supporters for the big occasion. I must admit I quite enjoy the theatre of all the shouts and screams at me - it doesn't make a blind bit of difference to what I give! Anyway, we got underway, and it was soon obvious that the two teams were fairly evenly matched. I started off well enough - there was some argument over a few challenges which I was letting go but I was trying to give the game some flow. In many ways, the first half was the hardest part of the game in that respect, and by the time we reached half-time the players had worked out my tolerance level and adjusted appropriately. Both teams had opportunities, but it was Newark who took the lead thanks to a 25th minute own goal. In fact, Broadgate were trying to commit defensive suicide at times. I had tried to play advantage where I could, and although there had been some late tackles I was trying to give warnings rather than showing cards. At the same time, I was making myself hoarse with all the shouting I was doing! Half-time arrived, with the score still 1-0.

The first half had provided little clue of what a rollercoaster ride lay ahead of us in the second half. Broadgate were out of the traps quickest, although there was a bit of good fortune about their equaliser, as a free kick sailed straight through everyone into the net. Within a minute, it was 2-1, as Newark committed defensive suicide as well, and the Broadgate forward nipped in to score. Newark were shell-shocked, and Broadgate then went on to add two more goals in the 63rd and 67th minutes, giving them a 4-1 lead. The game looked all but over.

But you just never know sometimes! Within 5 minutes Newark had pulled it back to 4-3. Set pieces were proving very effective for them, and this was the case on one of the two they scored. Game back on, and there were still 18 minutes to go! My involvement in the closing stages was limited - the players were busy getting on with playing football for the most part. There were the usual controversies on offsides, but I felt I was getting most things right. Newark plugged away (although Broadgate also kept attacking) - this part of the game itself passed me by as I was concentrating completely on what I was giving. There had been several substitutions and a couple of injuries, and Broadgate were starting to time waste on goal kicks, so I knew I would have to add on 4 or 5 minutes.

Newark were getting desperate by now, but sometimes the scrappiest of goals can decide things. In the 5th minute of added time, a corner was floated in and they bundled it home to equalise and make it 4-4 - at the death! I watched carefully for any infringements but there was nothing wrong. There was a mass pitch invasion - it was like they had won the Cup! I didn't finish the game there and then because I didn't want it to seem like I had just waited for Newark to score - but a minute or so later I did blow for full time on an extraordinary second half. Lying ahead of us was extra time!

Luke came over at that point as the Plate final had finished - with Southwell the victors by 3 goals to 2. Luke had disallowed 2 Lenton & Wortley goals, so probably wasn't flavour of the month with them!

I got extra time underway, and the collections of supporters on the side remained to cheer on their sides. Having some kind of atmosphere at the game made it more enjoyable for me. Extra time was scrappy - at least the first half was anyway. Neither team could really take control of the game and little had changed by the time we switched round after 15 minutes. The second half though was more interesting. Both teams did try to go for it, with attacks at both ends, and it wasn't totally defensive. Meanwhile, there had been a succession of late tackles through the game which I had been letting go, but the worst came in the 112th minute as a Newark player caught a Broadgate player with a high and late challenge. It wasn't far off being a red card, but I settled with yellow (to ironic cheers from the sidelines). There could have been an advantage for Broadgate, but I took the safe option of blowing straight away. Five minutes later, a second Newark player joined him in the book after bringing down a Broadgate attacker on the wing with a tired challenge - he held his hands up in acceptance of the decision. Newark also had a couple of penalty appeals - the first I waved away swiftly; the second was more vociferous, but their player had been challenged and had then slowly brought himself to the ground. It was nowhere near convincing me, and may not even have been a foul - the defender might have got some of the ball. However, there could still have been a dramatic late twist - in the final minutes of added time Newark had a great chance to win the game as the ball was crossed in and neither of two players could get a header on target. A short while later, I blew for time on what had been an epic 120 minutes.

Luke commented that the pressure was now off me and firmly on the players as we headed for penalties. He stood on the goalline to check that the goalkeepers stayed on their lines. In keeping with the rest of the game, the shootout proved to be suitably dramatic! Newark missed their second attempt, but the next Broadgate kick was also missed, before the scores were levelled at 2-2. With Broadgate then scoring, Newark missed their next one, giving Broadgate an opportunity to win the game - which they couldn't take. With Newark then scoring, it was 3-3, and sudden death! The first two kicks (one each) were both scored, but Broadgate then missed. It was now Newark's opportunity to win it, but their captain couldn't take it, so the scores remained 4-4. When the next Broadgate kick was skied, Newark again had an opportunity to win, and this time their taker made no mistake, giving them a dramatic 5-4 penalties win. Both keepers had made some good saves in the shootout, so as always I felt sorry for the losing goalkeeper - he couldn't have done much more. Newark's win completed a double for the two Jubilee campus halls - with Southwell having won the Plate.

How do I sum that up then? Well, it has to be up there as one of the best games I have refereed in my time in Nottingham. It was unpredictable, between two closely matched teams, with a real sense of occasion created by the crowd on the touchline. It hadn't been totally straightforward to referee, although by half time I sensed I had done the work necessary to get the players on my side and it became somewhat easier. Certainly, it never felt out of control. Tackles did fly in, although as is often the case the two yellow cards came late on in the game. I didn't get everything right - and indeed I ignored plenty which I could have penalised. However, I did this both ways, and tried to ensure that we got a game, not a stop-start whistle-fest. My decisions didn't have an undue bearing on the result, and the game won't be remembered because of my contribution to it. In fact, I will look back upon it as a game which I enjoyed hugely and from which I can be hugely satisfied with my performance.

Indeed, it was another of those games which explains why I referee. I have just controlled probably the most important match in the IMS calendar, and helped to make it an entertaining game. If you want to get involved in football, then why not referee? The sense of satisfaction you get from controlling 22 players with only a whistle, two bits of plastic and your own character is great. It won't always be easy, it won't always go well, and you won't always enjoy it - but for me the good experiences far outweigh the bad ones and make it one of the most worthwhile things I have done in my time in Nottingham. Bring on the next game!

Match 9 - Biz Soc vs Cripps Old Boys

Today I had a top of the table encounter to take charge of. Both Biz Soc and Cripps were unbeaten so far this term, so this was a significant game. Luke assisted me by running one of the lines. The Cripps players arrived late, and so we didn't start until 2.15. Crucially, Cripps won the toss and chose to play with the wind behind them in the first half, a decision which was to prove crucial.

To say Cripps dominated the opening 15 minutes is an understatement! With the wind behind them, they were swarming all over Biz Soc. The Cripps players want name checks for all their goals, but I'll be blown if I can remember who scored them all! They took the lead in the 3rd minute, and doubled it on 6 minutes as I waved down an offside flag from the Biz Soc linesman, who wasn't exactly reliable or impartial in his decision making. In the 15th minute it became three, and again there was a hint of controversy, as the ball struck an arm in the build up. Enzo was jumping for the ball with his arms out, so I ruled it accidental when it hit his elbow and allowed the goal. Again, the linesman's flag was up but I had made my decision and stuck to it. I tried to keep this consistency, and when a similar incident occured with the ball hitting a Biz Soc player's hand, I again let play go on (although this time it was in the centre circle). Luke agreed that it wasn't handball too.

The start of the game was quite tetchy, and soon after the third goal a Biz Soc player took out a Cripps player completely after the ball had gone. The ball fell to a forward so I allowed the advantage, and then decided to have a word with him rather than showing a yellow card. It was perhaps risky to do so, but he caused me no further trouble later in the game, so I was perhaps justified in the end. The tension was palpable and I knew I'd have to keep a fairly close grip on proceedings, but I didn't want to stifle the game completely. Its a delicate balance but the game seemed to settle down as we headed towards half-time, with Cripps adding two further goals, making full use of having the wind behind them. For Biz Soc it was damage limitation, and the half-time score of 5-0 reflected Cripps' dominance.

The big question, of course, was whether Biz Soc could then get back into the game with the wind behind them. They started to have much more of play, but were unable to create any real clearcut chances until it was too late. The second half was a bit easier to referee, although there were still some arguments going on around the pitch, and the players sometimes thought I wasn't giving free kicks where I should have done. I didn't want to make the game too stop-start, and still tried to play advantage where I could. I gather that one Cripps player indulged in a retaliatory kick out after the ball had gone when he had been fouled, but Luke chose not to bring it to my attention - I might have shown a yellow card, although by that stage the game had settled down. The Cripps players were also pretty mouthy, making their feelings known to me, and towards the end I was contemplating showing a yellow card or two for dissent. In the end, at the point where I contemplated showing a card they kept their mouths shut. The Biz Soc linesman didn't help, although they also chose to abuse Luke as well, but I was confident in his decisions.

In terms of the scoring, the second half finished 1-1, with Cripps adding a sixth before Biz Soc finally got one back with six minutes to go. Both teams had chances to add to the scores - Cripps managed to fluff a couple of great opportunities while Biz Soc lacked real threat in front of goal, and couldn't make the most of the chances they had. The scoreline of 6-1 was perhaps a little harsh, although it can't be denied that Cripps were the better team and deserved their win.

I was happy with my performance. The game had been under control but had some flow to it. Once again, I had been communicating with the players throughout the match and during the second half I felt very comfortable with my control. Of course there were decisions I perhaps didn't get right, but for the most part I felt happy with what I had given. The game was more difficult than those I've done in previous weeks, but I still felt I handled the match well. I was surprised I didn't end up showing a yellow card, but with the job done I'm happy that I didn't need to do so in the end.

I'm on a good run of matches at the moment, although with Easter on the horizon I'll soon have a break. Nonetheless, its good that I'm enjoying my refereeing more than ever and think I am performing at my best at the end of my three years here in Nottingham. Lets hope I continue to do so on Wednesday!

Match 8 - Broadgate Park vs Lenton & Wortley

The Broadgate Park captain invited me to referee their game today, so I was in the unusual situation of heading down to Grove Farm knowing which match I'd be doing! Their opponents were Lenton & Wortley; Luke meanwhile went off to referee Cripps vs Ancaster, which Ancaster went on to win 3-2.

The game was pretty unremarkable to be fair. The first half was scrappy, and devoid of quality and chances - a dogged midfield battle for the most part. I didn't have a lot to do, my only real intervention of note being to penalise the Lenton goalkeeper for handling outside his area in the early stages. He lost control of the ball and grabbed it from over the line - it was a free kick and no more. As Lenton lined up a corner just before half-time, I reflected on how the game needed a goal. It duly got one, as the ball was cleared and then swung back across to be met by a volley at the far post. It was a rare moment of quality two minutes before the break. The score remained 1-0 as I blew for half-time a couple of minutes later.

Broadgate's heads seemed to drop a little, and defence wasn't their strongpoint. About 10 minutes after the restart, the defender left it for the keeper who wasn't near enough to it, and a Lenton forward stole in and slotted it home to make their lead 2-0. Although Broadgate had some pressure throughout the remainder of the second half, including some set pieces, Lenton's defence kept them out and they never really looked like getting back into the game. This was disappointing, as they had played so well in the Cup games at the end of last term, seeing them through to the final which I believe is next week. In the end, Lenton added a third goal in the last 10 minutes to seal a fairly routine and well deserved win.

It wasn't the most testing of games from my perspective, nor the most exciting, and I just tried to do the job as efficiently as I could. I did make a few errors, but there were no real big decisions to make, and the game passed off without any real controversy. I tried to communicate with the players, keep my interventions to a minimum and let them get on with it as usual, and I think I was pretty successful in doing so. I am probably refereeing as well as I have done throughout my time here in Nottingham, and I'm glad I have felt I've been improving over time. As I carry on through to the end of the season, I hope my good run of form can continue!

Match 7 - Theology Society vs Chemical Engineering

The situation was as normal at Grove Farm today - the lottery of which teams would turn up! Luc invited me to referee ChemEng and they eventually decided to play against TheoSoc, as neither team's opponents had turned up. It was very much a friendly, and played in the manner of such a game. The atmosphere was relaxed, and this made it very enjoyable for me.

ChemEng dominated the start of the game. In fact, the first half was incredibly one-sided. Before I had even given a free kick for a foul, they were 3-0 up (the third goal going in 24 minutes in)! There were early penalty appeals for ChemEng, as their forward got a shot away but was then clattered by the keeper. I didn't give it - you don't see such decisions normally given - the most recent example was in the Old Firm Derby a couple of weeks ago when Calum Murray did exactly what I did. There were a few murmurs, but no major arguments. Other than calling a foul throw against Will Booth for a pretty camp attempt at a throw-in, I had nothing to do. The first foul came in the 29th minute, and by half-time I had only given two more; the game was flowing nicely. ChemEng, meanwhile, were all over TheoSoc and could have had six or seven by half-time, with some poor finishing not matching some excellent approach play. The through ball was working really well for them. It had been a hugely enjoyable 45 minutes for me, anyway.

TheoSoc came out with renewed energy and drive in the second half, and the game became much more even. I continued to enjoy it immensely. I played several good advantages, blew for fouls where I had to, and tried to limit my interventions. The main controversies surrounded offsides as ever - I went with the assistants in most cases, although that may not always have been right. Moreover, I was communicating with the players regularly, something which I don't always do. I felt relaxed and in control.

10 minutes from the end, I had a rare moment - a yellow card! TheoSoc were running through ahead of the defence, and one of the ChemEng defenders (who judging by his linesmanship was more used to playing rugby!) attempted to bring the forward down (in the classic 'Pro Evo' style). I was able to play the advantage, and the ball was then passed across the box and the linesman gave offside (perhaps a bit dodgy) although they were prevented from scoring by a last-ditch tackle anyway. As play stopped, I showed the defender the yellow card for his cynicism - my first yellow card in some while!

I was surprised that there were not more goals in the second half, but in the end ChemEng were able to add two more to their tally right at the end - both in the 90th minute. The first was a spectacular volley from Aaron, the second rather more scrappy from a throw-in, after which I brought proceedings to an end. The throw in had come after a rather late (but not malicious) tackle near the halfway line for which I played advantage, and I could perhaps have shown another yellow card but the game was all but over. ChemEng finished winners by 5 goals to 0.

Overall, this was another hugely enjoyable match for me to referee. It was relaxed, and I can't have given more than 10 fouls all game (and probably kept play going by playing advantage on about as many others). The yellow card was certainly deserved, if not necessary for my control of the match, although I have decided that I need to be more pro-active at times in showing cards where they are deserved. It doesn't, however, ruin a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.

Luke was refereeing on a neighbouring pitch, and his match was abandoned after a Real Politik player went down and broke his leg early in the second half while they were drawing 2-2 with Physics. Apparently he was at least in good humour throughout the episode, but it really is a most unfortunate occurance - I recall the game in which I assisted Doug up at Hucknall Town where the player hit the perimeter wall and play had to be stopped. The match is never the same after such an injury, and obviously I hope the Politics player will get better and be back playing football as soon as possible!

Match 6 - Cripps Freshers vs Cripps Old Boys

I was flying solo today at Grove Farm with Luke otherwise engaged, and as I arrived saw one of the Cripps players from last year who said that the freshers' match had been cancelled and so they were having an old boys game. When they met last term, we had a dramatic match with extra time, eight goals, a hatful of yellow cards and a sending off with a penalty shootout to decide it all. Today, the Old Boys had only just got a team together and played with 10 men for much of the match (and not because Doug was sending them off again!). They even borrowed freshers' players on a couple of occasions.

This game was rather more relaxed than the previous one, but didn't lack the drama. The Old Boys made a very lacklustre start and found themselves 2-0 down after two strikes in one minute. In both cases, the keeper didn't help their cause with his feeble attempts to stop the shots going in. However, they managed to pull one back in the 24th minute and were soon back to full strength, and the game became a much more even contest. The Old Boys thought they had levelled soon after but one of the freshers running the line (presumably injured and unable to play) put his flag up. Even though he wasn't in line with play, I thought it was probably right so gave the offside before the ball was put into the net. There was then controversy at the opposite end, with a fresher claiming he was fouled from behind as he entered the area. My view was obstructed, and in any case, the ball fell to another forward who toe-poked it towards goal, only for the keeper to deflect it agonisingly off the post and out for a corner. It may have been a foul, but I didn't have a clear view of it so couldn't give it. Shortly afterwards, it was half time.

The Old Boys started the half with a one-man disadvantage once again, and they only got back to full strength with about 20 minutes to go. The pace of the game was slow in the extreme at the start, but once it got going it actually became quite end-to-end. The Old Boys eventually got themselves an equaliser in the 59th minute after a nice exchange of passes. The freshers responded 10 minutes later to take a 3-2 lead. Totally unexpectedly, it was 3-3 a matter of seconds later with a looping shot from the Old Boys forward - some might say it was a fluke, I cannot comment! There were claims of a foul in the build-up, but I waved them away swiftly.

There were a couple of flashpoints, notably involving that same forward who thought he was fouled and kicked out in retaliation. I limited myself to having a word with him, but kept a close eye out for any confrontations in the minutes to come. I played some quite successful advantages through this phase of play, which the players gradually began to appreciate as the pace of the game picked up.

In the end, the Old Boys had the momentum, and took the lead with 9 minutes to go, making it 4-3. The freshers couldn't force their way back into it, and although there were claims of handball in the build up to their fifth I thought it had hit the shoulder at the very top of the arm so again let play continue. The Old Boys then had another attack as we entered stoppage time, but were fairly obviously offside so I called it despite not having a linesman. A couple of minutes later, their forward was through again but this time I waved play on and he beat the helpless goalkeeper to round off the win, and I immediately blew the final whistle.

This game wasn't quite as dramatic as the previous one, but did have more goals. Overall though, entertainment certainly wasn't lacking and I enjoyed refereeing it, a game in which there were few flashpoints or arguments of note. I tried to let the players play, and erred on the side of not giving fouls which means that, while I may have missed a few things here and there, the game flowed nicely. It was perhaps one of the more unusual games I have refereed - almost pedestrian at times yet end-to-end at others - but I enjoyed it all the same.

Match 5 - Cripps vs Willoughby

The weather hasn't been kind to us here in Nottingham in the past few weeks, and so we've had a succession of cancellations in the world of intra-mural football. Today, finally, football returned with the first round of halls matches this term being played.

Luke was with me today, and the Cripps players invited us to referee their game against Willoughby. With no other invitations to referee (some teams clearly hadn't turned up), we tossed a coin and I got the honour of refereeing, with Luke running one line and a Cripps sub running the other.

To say the pitch was muddy is perhaps an understatement. It was pretty wet underfoot, and so the players would probably be sliding about rather a lot. This doesn't make it any easier for the referee of course, but it rather depends on how the players behave.

There were a few minor squabbles (including a highly educative debate in which two players told each other to "shut up" in sequence!), but generally things started well. Having refereed Willoughby last term, I remembered their positive attitude to playing football and that returned today, as they tried to pass the ball on the very dodgy surface, and they had the better of the opening period. It was therefore a surprise when Cripps took a 15th minute lead after a defensive error. Willoughby's weak point is undoubtedly in defence, and set pieces caused them some trouble all match.

Willoughby kept plugging away, however, and got their reward with a 37th minute equaliser. It was shrouded in some controversy, however, as there were claims of offside. The ball was played forward, and the Cripps defenders pulled out, but too late to play the striker offside (in my view anyway). He couldn't put the ball in himself, but it fell to one of his teammates who eventually bundled it home. I wasn't sure whether the second player was offside - the linesman kept his flag down (sadly it wasn't Luke on that side!) - but I went over to check with him. He thought the first player might have been offside - but I was sure he wasn't - but confirmed that the second was onside, so on that basis I gave the goal. There wasn't any real complaint, so I think it was the right decision.

Cripps then went down to the other end and scored again just five minutes later. One defender did go down in the build-up but I thought he just slipped over (given the conditions - not a surprise!), a view confirmed by Luke when I blew for half-time a couple of minutes later. Once again, there was no complaint. I was satisfied with my contribution to the first half - I had generally dealt with everything well.

That theme continued into the second half, with Willoughby having the better of play (albeit marginally) - but struggling to find the back of the net. They did manage to equalise though in the 57th minute, again a rather scrappy goal, but they all count! The rest of the game was end-to-end, with both teams fighting for the winner through the last half-hour. Both teams had chances. My contribution was minimal - the players just got on with it. It was a real pleasure to referee. The question was - could anyone find a winner?

The goal - when it came - was unsurprisingly scrappy - in keeping with the previous goals. It was scored by Willoughby in the 90th minute after a free kick was floated in, and there was an almighty scramble. I was sure there were no fouls - and once again no Cripps players complained - they were just shattered and fell on the floor in disbelief. I played about three minutes of stoppage time, but Cripps couldn't force an equaliser - in fact they couldn't even create a clear chance on goal. I then brought to an end an entertaining encounter where the outcome was never certain - but I think the better team won in the end.

The most notable feature of the second half was that players kept going down with cramp. This was probably partly down to it being the first game back after Christmas, but mostly due to the boggy nature of the pitch - the centre circle was completely covered in mud. I'm delighted to say I never pulled up at all - which must say something for my fitness! Undoubtedly, I had a good game, and I don't think there was one player who didn't shake my hand at the end. Not every decision was right, but I kept my interventions to a minimum and let the players play. There was no real controversy - an ideal first game back after a couple of weeks break.

When I go to referee, that is the sort of game I want - where the players get on with the game and I can let them do so. There was virtually no dissent, unlike the previous night when I went to see a Nottingham Senior Cup match between Wollaton and Arnold Town. Wollaton finished with nine men after totally losing their discipline in the second half and picking up a string of yellow cards. I don't think the referee did hugely well, but he had no choice in dealing with their complaints with cards. Fortunately, in my match today, I didn't have to.

The Life of Riley

It won't take a genius to work out that yesterday probably wasn't the greatest day two of our top referees have ever had. Both Howard Webb and Mike Riley hit the headlines for their involvement in the two televised games, and for the wrong reasons.

Webb gave Newcastle a penalty which definitely wasn't a penalty. I don't think its even soft, its worse than that, as Malbranque barely touched Steven Taylor (who is not immune to practicing his theatrics on the pitch!). Given that Webb made a great call in turning down an earlier appeal where Damien Duff dived and was then cautioned, it was a disappointment. Otherwise, he had a good game, but you make your reputation on these big incidents and Webb fell down yesterday. Joe Kinnear must have been about the only one who agreed with the decision - how he could keep a straight face as he said that Malbranque "took Taylor's legs away" I'll never know!

But most of the headlines revolve around another Yorkshireman's involvement in the top of the table clash at Anfield between Liverpool and Chelsea. Mike Riley managed to eclipse Webb by making several notable errors. The sending off of Frank Lampard for being fouled by Alonso was a poor decision, although it is a little more understandable when you see the angle from which Riley was looking at the incident. However, it doesn't make the decision any better. Having sent off Lampard for being fouled, Riley's next contribution (along with assistant Mo Matadar) is to give Bosingwa a free kick for an assault (no other word describes it) on Benayoun. A kung-fu kick to the lower back surely consitutes serious foul play and deserves a red card. At least Chelsea manager Scolari was more honest than Kinnear about the decisions - saying that he disagreed with the Lampard decision but would have had no complaints about a red card for Bosingwa. Lets hope the FA do justice and rescind Lampard's card while giving Bosingwa the suspension he deserves.

Riley didn't have a good afternoon. I'm not a fan of his, mostly because his games tend to turn into stop-start affairs where there is little flow and too many unnecessary cards. Coupled with getting the big decisions wrong, yesterday will be an afternoon he will want to forget but we all have bad games, and it is how you bounce back in the next game that is crucial. Meanwhile, its time for someone other than Webb or Riley to be given a shot at one of the big games. Well, I live in hope...

Match 4 - Real Politik vs Florence Boot Old Boys

I've decided to start refereeing some Saturday games in the Intra-Mural leagues at Grove Farm, starting today. The game I got myself assigned to was the Politics society (inventively called Real Politik) against the old boys team from Florence Boot. FB were a little late arriving, and started with 10 men as we were already running late.

I thought Politics had the better of the opening 10 minutes. They seemed to be controlling play, although there wasn't a lot in it. FB were playing on the break up to their lone centre-forward, with reasonable effect. In fact it was from one such incident that the game turned in the 11th minute. The forward was running through and was unceremoniously fouled by the Politics goalkeeper. My immediate reaction was that it had taken place inside the area, and so I gave a penalty - I think it probably was, as the only complaints seemed to be some rather desperate ones from the Politics defenders, not borne out of any sense of real injustice. The penalty was scored.

FB then proceeded to control the rest of the first half. They added a second goal in the 35th minute, and there wasn't a lot for me to do - just the odd free kick here and there and I had to run the rule over throw ins (with there being no linesmen). Half-time came briefly, but no-one wanted to stand around in the freezing cold for too long!

With FB 2-0 up, the next goal was always going to be crucial. Unfortunately, I played a role in it too - one of the FB players played a cross-field pass which hit me as I was trying to dodge out of the way. I always try to predict where play will be going, but sometimes you are inevitably unsuccessful. Of course, having intercepted the ball, it fell to a Politics player and they went forward and scored! It happened to Howard Webb in an FA Cup game a few weeks ago, so it happens to the best of us!

The goal really came against the run of play. In the end it didn't prove crucial, as FB continued to control the game, adding a third in the 78th minute. Their fourth in the 87th minute completed their captain's hatrick - there was probably a push on a defender in the build-up, but I didn't see the contact and so played on, but by that stage it didn't matter. The heads of the Politics players had dropped, and FB added a fifth with the very last kick of the game to complete a 5-1 victory.

Overall, not on of my best games, but there you go - its often difficult returning after a long break. I'm convinced the penalty decision was right, and the best team won in the end - the Politics team had a lot of huff and puff but didn't really create any clearcut chances, while FB were well organised, led well by their captain and were dangerous in attack. I tried to let the players play and let the game flow, and was pretty successful in that respect.

So I'm back in the swing of things now then, and look forward to the next match on Wednesday!

Webb's big match blues

Today we had another of the encounters between two of the so-called 'big four' clubs - Manchester United vs Chelsea. And, yet again, it was refereed by Howard Webb. This is the seventh such encounter so far this season, and the fifth which Webb has refereed. The two exceptions are the reverse of today's fixture, which was whistled to extinction by Mike Riley, and Chelsea vs Arsenal, which Mike Dean handled well. Now, Webb is definitely our best referee at the moment, but for him to have such a monopoly over the big games can't be good. It implies that no-one else is capable of doing them, and should Webb get injured or something similar, then the authorities would have a bit of a problem. Over-reliance on one referee to do the games can be dangerous. Furthermore, there must be other referees who deserve a shot at refereeing one of these games. What must others think they have to do to receive such an appointment?

More of that later, and to the match itself. The first half undoubtedly contained the most action, and several talking points. Webb set an early marker with a harsh yellow card to Frank Lampard for a tackle which was wildly overexaggerated by Cristiano Ronaldo. The game was quite tense, which probably necessitated frequent interruptions, although Webb could have let things flow a little more, and missed several advantage opportunities. However, Webb then had a couple of big calls to make, both of which would have sent out a message to the rest of the footballing world. And he didn't make them.

Rewind seven months. Austria vs Poland, Euro 2008. An English referee by the name of Webb gave a late penalty for the offence of holding by a defender at a set piece. Fast forward again. So why didn't the same referee give a penalty today, when Carvalho clearly impeded Ronaldo at a Manchester United free kick? I don't know. The offence committed by Carvalho far surpassed any committed by Ronaldo, who was penalised for something - I don't know what. Both then received rather unnecessary yellow cards for a minor altercation. I fail to see that Ronaldo did anything wrong (and I am not a fan of his at all!). Here was a chance to give a high-profile penalty award for such an offence, but Webb wasn't brave enough.

Worse was to follow. Bosingwa was doing a good job of shepherding the ball out of play near his own goalline, when Rooney came in and hacked at him. Foul, and Webb gave the free kick. Possibly a yellow card for the foul, but perhaps not. But Rooney then decided he didn't like the decision, and in one of the worst shows of dissent we have seen all season, berated Webb. Webb tried to pacify him, and eventually Rooney calmed down, but only at about the fourth attempt. Respect? There was none from Rooney. He is a great footballer, but his temper gets the better of him all too frequently. The only way he will learn is if he is disciplined for it, which means yellow and red cards. I know Webb was trying to manage him, but it was clearly failing, so he should just have given up and showed him yellow. Later in the same half, following an incident which I will discuss shortly, Rooney dissented in a similar way and received no sanction - he could have been receiving a second yellow at that point. If Rooney's dissent is seen to be acceptable, then players on parks all across the country will do the same in their next game, giving grief to all those referees at grass roots level. This was exactly what the Respect campaign was designed to sort out, but here Webb has missed a big opportunity to enforce it, in a game watched by millions across the world.

The later incident I referred to above is the rather bizarre one which occured just before half-time. Manchester United tried to play a clever trick from a corner, by letting Rooney take it short, and then waiting before Giggs took up the ball. It is best seen on video. The officials disallowed the goal which was then scored from Giggs' cross, as the corner was deemed not to have been taken properly. It had been, but I understand that Darren Cann, the assistant referee, thought it hadn't been. Had Rooney informed him that he was taking it early, then the problem would have been solved. I would probably have done the same as Cann in the situation, although what United did was legal. In the end, they scored from the retake anyway, so it matters little.

The second half was much less eventful, albeit littered with yellow cards. Apart from the Ronaldo penalty and the corner incident, I felt United got the rub of the green (as they often do at Old Trafford). I think some of the cards Webb gave were avoidable, and he missed some opportunities to let it flow. United deserved their win over a lacklustre Chelsea.

In one word, I'd describe Webb's performance as "safe". His attitude to the game, the early yellow card, and his unwillingness to make the bigger calls described above were all "safe". And by that I don't mean good. Our top referee should be making those calls. And herein lies the problem with the appointments situation. They say that familiarity breeds contempt, and I think Webb is too familiar with handling these big games in a safe way. He errs on the side of caution all the time - if he doesn't do them all, then he might be less afraid to make some of the bigger calls. He doesn't want to upset the clubs involved as he knows he'll meet them again soon. Its time for some fresh blood on these big games - a fresh approach, and someone who will make the big calls. Today, Webb didn't do that. He shouldn't be excluded from getting these games, but they should certainly be shared around a lot more.

The Magic of the FA Cup

Yes, its cliche time again! FA Cup third round weekend is one of the most anticipated in the football calendar, and with a good draw this weekend didn't disappoint.

Controversy was virtually non-existent on Saturday, with plenty of goals, excitement and surprises. On Sunday, however, the two games saw the officials thrust into the spotlight.

First off was League Two side Gillingham's encounter with Premier League Aston Villa. This was a terrific cup tie, with Gillingham equitting themselves very well, but eventually losing out to Villa. I thought Keith Stroud had a great game. There are theorists who suggest that the big sides get the rub of the green in these games, but I thought he refereed it fairly, used good man management, and kept control while not stifling the game.

The controversy has centred around the penalty which ultimately decided the game. I'm rather surprised at the amount of debate about it. Granted, Ashley Young was probably looking for it, but Adam Miller has made clear contact with him and bodychecked him, and Keith Stroud had a good view of this. I think anyone's instinctive reaction in his position would be to give a penalty, so I'm fully supporting his decision here. Stroud hasn't really had a good run in the Premier League yet but on this evidence I think he deserves a chance.

The second game of the day was Southampton against Manchester United. Mike Riley was in charge, and there were three incidents of note. The first two require little discussion. Danny Welbeck was offside for Manchester United's first goal - albeit pretty marginally; this isn't the worst decision ever but Simon Beck will be disappointed that he didn't flag. The red card to Patterson was correct for me - a tackle which endangered the safety of an opponent - even though he probably meant to play the ball. But a good decision from Mike Riley there.

Less good was the penalty he gave to Manchester United. While David McGoldrick jumps up as the free kick comes in, there is some doubt as to whether the ball hits his hand or the back of his head, never mind whether it was intentional. How sure was Mike Riley that it definitely hit his hand? I think he must have used some guesswork, and I don't like the idea of using guesswork on penalties, which are important decisions. If there are doubts, then its not a penalty. It was an honest decision I'm sure, but not a good one for me. At least Keith Stroud had a clear view of the contact for the penalty he gave in the early game.

Its a shame that the officials have taken centre-stage in Sunday's games, as it has slightly marred a great cup weekend. Nonetheless, controversy is part of football so I guess it all adds to the fun!

New Year...but the same old favouritism?

I haven't written an article for a while; Christmas has seen the usual array of activities as well as plenty of football. There was a lot of discussion about the "penalty" which Steve Bennett rescinded on Tuesday in the Hull vs Aston Villa game, but the crucial thing here was that the correct decision was reached (in the end!). It may not have looked good, but the decision being correct is what is important.

The beginning of a new calendar year sees a selection of promotions among the international rankings of referees. Among them, Englishman Mike Dean has been elevated to UEFA's "Premier" category of referees. This is the second tier of European officials (behind the "Elite" list, which includes Howard Webb and Mike Riley). This should put him in line for some decent UEFA Cup games and some early stage Champions League encounters - just reward for the good season he is having domestically. Dean is undoubtedly one of our top three officials at the moment.

Webb, Riley and Dean are our top three European officials. Martin Atkinson is in the "Premier Development" category, so may well make the Elite list in the not too distant future. We have three other officials on the list - Rob Styles, Steve Tanner and Mark Clattenburg (whose future seems somewhat doubtful, given he hasn't refereed a game in some six months - clearly investigations are ongoing with regard to his personal situation).

That gives us seven continuing International officials, out of a potential ten, so January has seen two promotions onto the International list, bringing our total up to nine. First to go on has been Andre Marriner. I am delighted for Marriner. At 37, he was almost at the point where it wouldn't have been possible for him to make the International list. He has been a Premier League referee for almost four years now, but after injury problems at the start has settled down well. He will never be our 'top' referee (a Webb or a Poll) but in terms of doing a quiet, efficient job on some of the lower-profile games he is doing really well. The only moment of controversy for him so far this season was the second yellow card he gave to Wigan's Emerson Boyce at Newcastle back in November, a decision which he subsequently admitted was the wrong one. Back when he was refereeing in the Conference, he was always a safe pair of hands and did several of the higher profile games. Indeed, last Sunday he took charge of the West London derby at Craven Cottage, and again the game passed without incident. Based on performances, he deserves to be on.

The second promotion, however, is a more contentious one. When Stuart Attwell was appointed to the Premier League group of referees at the age of 25, there were murmurings. He has not had a good time since then, with the phantom goal at Watford and the chaotic end to the East Midands derby. He turned down an obvious penalty for Fulham in a Premier League game at Stoke a few weeks ago, and even in the lower leagues hasn't always made the big calls correctly. His confidence has been shot to pieces, and quite how the problem is to be solved I don't know.

Whether appointing him to the International list is a solution is doubtful. In fact, all it suggests is that the New Year signals only a continuation of the favouritism towards certain officials. Attwell is undoubtedly a good official, but whether he is one of our top 20, or now (as his International appointment suggests) one of our top 10, is very much open to question. All he will get internationally for the first year or two will be Intertoto Cup games and the like - he won't be shooting to Champions League fame - but the question is whether he deserves it. I think there are more deserving officials out there who might be doing better than he is, with the benefit of a little more experience. It is no reflection on him - more a reflection on the insistence of the powers that be to promote him quickly. His first match wearing the FIFA badge will be on Saturday, at Stamford Bridge, for his first visit as referee to Chelsea.

So, will the New Year be a new start for referees? I don't think a lot is going to change. Certainly those who are in charge have indicated that their relentless push of one poor young man from Nuneaton is unceasing - do they really believe that he is ready for what they are throwing at him, or is it now becoming blatant favouritsm? I'll let you be the judge of that.