I'd not had a game for six weeks or so (bloody weather!), and true to form got an email Friday night saying that my Saturday game had been cancelled. Get a phone call Saturday morning 'are you still up for a game this afternoon?' I'm absolutely buzzing for it. It's a premier division game (the highest division they give level 7's down here), I've got a bit of history with the away team, but nothing too serious. Anyway, I turn up, speak to both managers who both seem pretty switched on, and overhear them both saying the right things to their players before kick off - 'keep off the refs back', 'lets not go in for any silly tackles' etc. I know it could be a challenging game, and I know that I need to be on it because I've probably gotten a little bit rusty, so game kicks off and I'm all over everything. My positioning is good, I'm keeping up with play, playing some great advantages. Anyway, first half goes mostly without incident. I'm giving a lot of fouls both ways but nothing too silly from either team. I've spoken to a couple of players for comments they've made towards me (nothing that warranted any more than a talking to), brought both captains in (who were both brilliant) for players that have been making a bit of a nuisance of themselves. 30 minutes in, home player goes into the opposing penalty area with the ball, pushes it past the defender (who stands his ground) then half steps around, half runs into the defender and throws himself to the floor. My thought process is 'was that a penalty? No way!' so I cut the grass and give a nice loud shout and play goes on. It was only as the two players that were involved run past me, and I hear the defender say to the attacker 'that was terrible. You should be booked for diving' that the thought of simulation even comes into my head. Thinking back to it, it probably was a dive, and I probably should've cautioned, so this is something I'm going to try and add to my penalty decision process.
The game is fairly even but away team are 2-0 up. I have one caution just before half time for one of the home players. It was one of those 'typical' yellow card challenges where he's jumped in with his studs up, caught a bit of the ball but caught the player as well. Home team weren't too happy ('he got the ball ref!') but it's a definite yellow.
2nd half kicks off, and we're about 10 minutes in and away team have a chance to go 3 up. Shot from just inside the area heading towards goal, defender (5 yards away) turns to stop himself getting hit in the face. His arm comes up to protect himself and the ball inevitably strikes his arm, which isn't exactly in close to his body, but I can see that he's not done it to try and stop the ball. One of those 'you see them given', but I'm happy it's not a penalty. Would've been a red if I'd deemed it intentional, so the away team go mental, but the ball falls straight to another striker, who elects to lob the ball into the net. I'm positioned just inside the penalty area, maybe three yards to the right hand side of the penalty mark. I see the ball hit the floor on the goal line and a defender slide in and scoop the ball away. I look straight to the CAR who is nowhere to be seen (rolling a fag or texting his Nan or something), so make the judgement call myself. I know I wasn't in the best position but it didn't look in to me, and I can't be 100% sure so no goal. Again, away team protest.
15 minutes into the second half and home player shoots wide. He feels it got a deflection, I'm convinced otherwise so I give the goal kick. The decision is met with the aggrieved player turning away from me and screaming '**** off! **** off man!'. I immediately call him over, and he replies by walking away screaming '**** off! **** off! **** off you *****!'. Captain steps in, drags player in my direction and the player makes it about halfway to me and stops. I shout 'come here player', which is met with 'I'm already ****ing here for ****'s sake'. I ask his name, confident in my own head that he's earned himself an early shower. Once again, captain steps in and gives me the whole 'ref, calm down, he wasn't shouting at you. He's just frustrated cos he thinks there was a deflection. He's just frustrated, he's shouting at himself.' The player then steps in 'yeah sorry ref, I wasn't shouting at you, I've calmed down now'. I think about it, and reason that I'm not really sure who or what he was shouting at. He seems apologetic so tell him I don't want to hear another word from him and caution. The second I pulled the yellow out I knew I'd got it wrong. I don't know what I was thinking. He was obviously shouting at me, and I've allowed myself to be duped by a captain who obviously knows what he's doing and a very poor excuse for yelling obscenities at me.
14 minutes later and I've got another caution for a home player. It's gone down as dissent. Would've probably been a bit soft but for the fact that I'd spoken to him once already about the way he speaks to me, another time for handbags, and he's had 3 fouls in the last five minutes.
With 6 minutes plus added left to play, another tackle comes in from a home player. It's a bad tackle, a really bad one. Both feet in the air, studs up, knee height. In his defense, he didn't actually make contact with the player, but once again I'm thinking red. A decent advantage develops but I'm straight on the whistle and in there ready for a mass confrontation. Which never comes. Away team seem happy just to be awarded the free kick. So as I drag the player away, the captain comes in again, and I get another story about the player slipping. He's pointing at his boots and at the ground (which wasn't too bad, but it's feasible he could have slipped) and I elect to go with a caution again. In retrospect, I think it probably should've been red. The away team just made it far too easy for me to get away with a yellow. I'm kind of torn about this, not sure whether I've backed down and made the easy decision, or managed to retain match control by not pulling out a red card that no one was expecting. Either way, home team score 2 more, to draw level at 2-2 and away team score a blinder straight from the kick off to retain their lead.
2 minutes and 50 seconds into the 3 minutes of added time, and another terrible tackle comes in. Home player had dived in with both feet, studs up, straight into the ball and straight through the player behind it. Cue another yellow card, cue more protestations of 'but he got the ball ref!'. Game ends 3-2 to away team, 5 cautions in total all for home team. There was a few loud comments made in my direction whilst shaking hands with the players 'that ref was ****ing ****!', 'He's barely even out of puberty' etc. but I let it go because I can't identify individual culprits. Then I have to suffer a ten minute lecture by the home team manager about how I've given his team '5 soft yellows', how it was 'never a 5 booking game' and how I shouldn't report the cautions because they're already in trouble with the FA and he'll get hammered. I explain calmly to him that two of those yellows were extremely close to reds, and that the other three were all solid cautions.
Lots of positives to draw from. It was a tough game, but I was strong and confident in all my decisions. My positioning was mostly spot on, and I communicated well. Played two advantages that lead to clear goal scoring opportunities as well, but the strikers had to go and fluff them. Oh well! I felt I got 95% of my decisions correct, just a bit disappointed that:
A). I didn't caution for simulation in the first half.
B) I didn't dismiss for blatant OFFINABUS.
C) I didn't dismiss for the knee high tackle (although I'm not so sure on this one any more)
The game is fairly even but away team are 2-0 up. I have one caution just before half time for one of the home players. It was one of those 'typical' yellow card challenges where he's jumped in with his studs up, caught a bit of the ball but caught the player as well. Home team weren't too happy ('he got the ball ref!') but it's a definite yellow.
2nd half kicks off, and we're about 10 minutes in and away team have a chance to go 3 up. Shot from just inside the area heading towards goal, defender (5 yards away) turns to stop himself getting hit in the face. His arm comes up to protect himself and the ball inevitably strikes his arm, which isn't exactly in close to his body, but I can see that he's not done it to try and stop the ball. One of those 'you see them given', but I'm happy it's not a penalty. Would've been a red if I'd deemed it intentional, so the away team go mental, but the ball falls straight to another striker, who elects to lob the ball into the net. I'm positioned just inside the penalty area, maybe three yards to the right hand side of the penalty mark. I see the ball hit the floor on the goal line and a defender slide in and scoop the ball away. I look straight to the CAR who is nowhere to be seen (rolling a fag or texting his Nan or something), so make the judgement call myself. I know I wasn't in the best position but it didn't look in to me, and I can't be 100% sure so no goal. Again, away team protest.
15 minutes into the second half and home player shoots wide. He feels it got a deflection, I'm convinced otherwise so I give the goal kick. The decision is met with the aggrieved player turning away from me and screaming '**** off! **** off man!'. I immediately call him over, and he replies by walking away screaming '**** off! **** off! **** off you *****!'. Captain steps in, drags player in my direction and the player makes it about halfway to me and stops. I shout 'come here player', which is met with 'I'm already ****ing here for ****'s sake'. I ask his name, confident in my own head that he's earned himself an early shower. Once again, captain steps in and gives me the whole 'ref, calm down, he wasn't shouting at you. He's just frustrated cos he thinks there was a deflection. He's just frustrated, he's shouting at himself.' The player then steps in 'yeah sorry ref, I wasn't shouting at you, I've calmed down now'. I think about it, and reason that I'm not really sure who or what he was shouting at. He seems apologetic so tell him I don't want to hear another word from him and caution. The second I pulled the yellow out I knew I'd got it wrong. I don't know what I was thinking. He was obviously shouting at me, and I've allowed myself to be duped by a captain who obviously knows what he's doing and a very poor excuse for yelling obscenities at me.
14 minutes later and I've got another caution for a home player. It's gone down as dissent. Would've probably been a bit soft but for the fact that I'd spoken to him once already about the way he speaks to me, another time for handbags, and he's had 3 fouls in the last five minutes.
With 6 minutes plus added left to play, another tackle comes in from a home player. It's a bad tackle, a really bad one. Both feet in the air, studs up, knee height. In his defense, he didn't actually make contact with the player, but once again I'm thinking red. A decent advantage develops but I'm straight on the whistle and in there ready for a mass confrontation. Which never comes. Away team seem happy just to be awarded the free kick. So as I drag the player away, the captain comes in again, and I get another story about the player slipping. He's pointing at his boots and at the ground (which wasn't too bad, but it's feasible he could have slipped) and I elect to go with a caution again. In retrospect, I think it probably should've been red. The away team just made it far too easy for me to get away with a yellow. I'm kind of torn about this, not sure whether I've backed down and made the easy decision, or managed to retain match control by not pulling out a red card that no one was expecting. Either way, home team score 2 more, to draw level at 2-2 and away team score a blinder straight from the kick off to retain their lead.
2 minutes and 50 seconds into the 3 minutes of added time, and another terrible tackle comes in. Home player had dived in with both feet, studs up, straight into the ball and straight through the player behind it. Cue another yellow card, cue more protestations of 'but he got the ball ref!'. Game ends 3-2 to away team, 5 cautions in total all for home team. There was a few loud comments made in my direction whilst shaking hands with the players 'that ref was ****ing ****!', 'He's barely even out of puberty' etc. but I let it go because I can't identify individual culprits. Then I have to suffer a ten minute lecture by the home team manager about how I've given his team '5 soft yellows', how it was 'never a 5 booking game' and how I shouldn't report the cautions because they're already in trouble with the FA and he'll get hammered. I explain calmly to him that two of those yellows were extremely close to reds, and that the other three were all solid cautions.
Lots of positives to draw from. It was a tough game, but I was strong and confident in all my decisions. My positioning was mostly spot on, and I communicated well. Played two advantages that lead to clear goal scoring opportunities as well, but the strikers had to go and fluff them. Oh well! I felt I got 95% of my decisions correct, just a bit disappointed that:
A). I didn't caution for simulation in the first half.
B) I didn't dismiss for blatant OFFINABUS.
C) I didn't dismiss for the knee high tackle (although I'm not so sure on this one any more)
Take the positives from it all.
