santa sangria
RefChat Addict
Top of the table clash. Two U17 teams that are averaging 6 goals a game. But this one is as tight as a fish's you know what. Match control is good. One yellow for a tactical foul. A couple of final warnings. One lad thinks he's on the telly and wants to stand in front of every free kick. The game is fast, and both GKs can kick well. I am doing a lot of up and down (over 8km total).
Deep into the second half. I hear my name and turn to see AR1 flagging. It's up, hard to tell if it's a-wagging or just up. I stop the game, with the ball in the home GK's hands. AR1 tells me that 45 seconds ago the GK handled the ball outside the area as he kicked from the hand. Since then, the ball has been up the other end, and is now back.
I ask AR1 to explain and he tells me it was obvious and he is sure. I feel it would be extremely pernicious to go back for the foul after such a long extended phase(s) of active play. So, I thanked him for flagging but I call a drop ball, to, in effect, give the ball straight back to the keeper to carry on. So, I turn to run. From behind me the keeper kicks. I turn to see the flag go up again and waggle.
I stop the game again, go to the AR, he says the keeper has handled again, I give the DFK, explain to the players, away team scores, with a lovely up and over to the near post, palmed in by the keeper!
Game ends 0-1.
After the game AR1 tells me that he verbally warned the GK after the third time, and the first flag was the fourth time he thought it was handball! If he had told me that I would certainly have given the DFK at first flag instead of the drop ball.
What did I learn? I know as an AR, and I should have remembered here, how frustrating it is when your ref doesn't notice your signal for 1min plus. I should have factored that in. It is a good feeling when the ref acts on your flag. I learnt that, no matter how late you see the flag, if there was an offence (and I trust my colleague to tell me if there was) then you should act accordingly and not hedge.
Deep into the second half. I hear my name and turn to see AR1 flagging. It's up, hard to tell if it's a-wagging or just up. I stop the game, with the ball in the home GK's hands. AR1 tells me that 45 seconds ago the GK handled the ball outside the area as he kicked from the hand. Since then, the ball has been up the other end, and is now back.
I ask AR1 to explain and he tells me it was obvious and he is sure. I feel it would be extremely pernicious to go back for the foul after such a long extended phase(s) of active play. So, I thanked him for flagging but I call a drop ball, to, in effect, give the ball straight back to the keeper to carry on. So, I turn to run. From behind me the keeper kicks. I turn to see the flag go up again and waggle.
I stop the game again, go to the AR, he says the keeper has handled again, I give the DFK, explain to the players, away team scores, with a lovely up and over to the near post, palmed in by the keeper!
Game ends 0-1.
After the game AR1 tells me that he verbally warned the GK after the third time, and the first flag was the fourth time he thought it was handball! If he had told me that I would certainly have given the DFK at first flag instead of the drop ball.
What did I learn? I know as an AR, and I should have remembered here, how frustrating it is when your ref doesn't notice your signal for 1min plus. I should have factored that in. It is a good feeling when the ref acts on your flag. I learnt that, no matter how late you see the flag, if there was an offence (and I trust my colleague to tell me if there was) then you should act accordingly and not hedge.