The game that had everything

We commonly see this phrase used in match reports to describe epic encounters - "this game had everything". The game I was involved with this afternoon at Grove Farm was one such encounter. On this occasion, I wasn't in the middle, as former Nottingham student Douglas Tan returned once again from Malaysia and took charge of the match. Luke was also with us, and we decided to concentrate on one game and provide a full team of a referee and two neutral assistants. We searched for a game and eventually found Cripps freshers (whose opponents hadn't turned up) who were set instead for an encounter with the Cripps second years team (who I had refereed several times last year).

These old boys matches are usually good fun. It is worth remembering that Doug's last match was between the Nightingale first and second years last June. In that game there were seven goals and a sending off on a very eventful afternoon. Surely that kind of match couldn't happen again? Could it?

The opening period was no indicator of events to come. It wasn't massively exciting, with the 2nd years taking a 4th minute lead and doubling it on 20 minutes. The freshers weren't playing well defensively. Doug tried to let the game flow and play some good advantages. I got the impression the freshers weren't particularly warming to his performance. This was particularly true when he cautioned one of them for kicking the ball away, although it was actually a mix-up over a throw in which Luke had signalled first the wrong way and had then corrected. The ball was definitely kicked away, but the whole incident didn't look brilliant.

I got a bit of stick for making three correct offside decisions against the freshers' attack. The 2nd years had an annoying habit of changing goalkeepers at regular intervals, sometimes when the ball was in play and definitely without the permission of the referee. Doug clamped down on this, although technically the correct punishment is an indirect free kick and a yellow card. Doug did show one further yellow card to a Cripps defender for a late tackle.

But the incident which probably turned the game and made it into the encounter it was was the goal scored by the freshers four minutes before half-time. It wasn't controversial, but it got them back into the game. Half-time came, and there had been no major problems for the officials.

The second half started a little slowly. There was an early booking to a second year for dissent. First blood in terms of scoring went to the second years, who pulled away to 3-1 with a goal 10 minutes after the restart, but that gain was immediately cancelled out by a reply from the freshers two minutes later. The game was getting more and more interesting. The card was out again on the hour mark to a fresher for an act of persistent dissent. Doug chooses to clamp down on this early, clearly out to enforce the FA's Respect campaign with a vengeance!

It was anyone's game now, and both teams had chances. The freshers got back on level terms with 15 minutes to go, and could well have won the game, but for a good chance missed and a brilliant goal-saving tackle by a second years' defender. The freshers thought the second years were getting some soft free kicks from Doug, with the player booked earlier in the half choosing to roll around on the floor to demonstrate the perceived softness of the decisions. Most of them were correct anyway. He was joined in the book by two further freshers for late tackles as the game wore on. But no-one could break the deadlock, and with 90 minutes up it was 3-3. There were six names in Doug's book.

The general feeling was that people wanted extra time, which was restricted to 10 minutes halves because of the fading light. The first half of extra time was uneventful, but two minutes into the second half the freshers scored. They had taken a 4-3 lead, and secured the goal which could see them win the match. But the controversy started when two of the freshers decided to take their shirts off when celebrating their goal. Both received a yellow card from Doug for doing so - a silly act. But here is where the confusion started. Players had been changing shirts throughout the game, and we had been noting down the numbers of the cautioned players. Here, one appeared to have been booked twice. Doug confirmed that this was not the case, and the second years claimed he had bottled a sending off. The defender who had made the goal-saving tackle then received a second yellow card for dissent (as his first had been too), and the second years were now a goal down and down to ten men. He tried to swap with the goalkeeper and come back on, but Luke and I both noticed. The players claimed we should just get on with it, but you can't let the rules be broken like that!

The second years were up against it now - a man down and with eight minutes to save the game. They were, however, given a huge helping hand. One of the freshers' defenders made a stupid tackle and conceded a penalty, of which both Doug and I had a clear view. He realised it was a silly and unnecessary challenge. The penalty was scored. 4-4!

A couple of minutes later, Doug brought matters to a conclusion. The game had been an extraordinary one, with eight goals, a penalty, a sending off and eight yellow cards. But of course it was not over as the match would now have to be settled by a penalty shootout.

Both teams scored their first two penalties with some ease. The next two were then missed, leaving the score still at 2-2. The freshers scored their next one, before the second years' next taker missed, leaving the freshers one kick away from winning the game. The penalty was duly dispatched to seal a 4-2 win on penalties.

Like I said, it was one of those games which had everything! I have probably not covered every incident or given enough detail, but the basics are there. Doug takes a stricter line on dissent than I do, and I have to admit that I wouldn't have handed out as many cards. However, he was consistent in his approach and thats all you can ask. If the players saw him giving out yellow cards for dissent, then they should have adopted a different attitude. There were no major match-changing decisions which were wrong either. I don't think his performance was that warmly received, particularly by the freshers. Their left back commented to me just before the end of extra time "can't you go on and referee, this guy's a pillock!" Respect, laddy, respect!

Altogether, a great game of football and I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon. Doug promises to referee again on Saturday, and Luke and I will again assist him. It surely won't be as eventful as that game - will it?