Just wanted to share my experiences of this weekend - my first as a referee.
2 games, 1 Saturday in my local county league and 1 Sunday league.
Game 1 - close affair nothing major happening in the first half, aside from every player testing the waters with 'come on ref' 'surely that's a foul ref' (they all seemed to know that it was my first ever game).
HT arrives 0-0 so I jog over to get a drink from my bag and realise 2 players have squared up... Long blow of the whistle pull them both aside with their captains and make it clear I don't want to see anything else and I would be watching - I took no further action as it was all very much handbags. All goes quiet until the 85th minute home forward is baring down on goal one on one with the keeper, just about to slot the ball home when a defender comes steaming back and wipes the forward clean out. Obviously I give the penalty and call the player over, he says ref you can't send me off for that as 'I meant to get the ball'. Red card produced - universally accepted by everyone except the player himself - stomps off to what a Fu**ing joke, first game and you bottled it ref.
Game finishes 2 nil to the home team and the home team said I was the most assured ref they had been appointed all season (will take that with a pinch of salt)
Game 2 today was an absolute pleasure to referee - didn't think I would be saying that about Sunday league football.
It was a cracking end to end game played in the right spirit. Apologies for late tackles, players picking eachother up off the floor and not one word of dissent all game.
Game finished 7-1 to the home team - definitely not a true reflection of the game but the away team tired in the last 20.
All in all a fantastic first weekend, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, however I know it won't always feel like this.
Hey I might Aswell enjoy it why it lasts
2 games, 1 Saturday in my local county league and 1 Sunday league.
Game 1 - close affair nothing major happening in the first half, aside from every player testing the waters with 'come on ref' 'surely that's a foul ref' (they all seemed to know that it was my first ever game).
HT arrives 0-0 so I jog over to get a drink from my bag and realise 2 players have squared up... Long blow of the whistle pull them both aside with their captains and make it clear I don't want to see anything else and I would be watching - I took no further action as it was all very much handbags. All goes quiet until the 85th minute home forward is baring down on goal one on one with the keeper, just about to slot the ball home when a defender comes steaming back and wipes the forward clean out. Obviously I give the penalty and call the player over, he says ref you can't send me off for that as 'I meant to get the ball'. Red card produced - universally accepted by everyone except the player himself - stomps off to what a Fu**ing joke, first game and you bottled it ref.
Game finishes 2 nil to the home team and the home team said I was the most assured ref they had been appointed all season (will take that with a pinch of salt)
Game 2 today was an absolute pleasure to referee - didn't think I would be saying that about Sunday league football.
It was a cracking end to end game played in the right spirit. Apologies for late tackles, players picking eachother up off the floor and not one word of dissent all game.
Game finished 7-1 to the home team - definitely not a true reflection of the game but the away team tired in the last 20.
All in all a fantastic first weekend, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, however I know it won't always feel like this.
Hey I might Aswell enjoy it why it lasts