A week proves a long time for a ref!
A week in politics is a long time. Well the same can be said about football, especially if you’re a referee.
In my previous column I touched on the fact that I had been appointed as the reserve referee for the Carling Cup Final at Wembley and what an occasion it was.
I joined up with my fellow officials on the Saturday lunch time and then spent the afternoon looking around a very quiet Wembley stadium.
Everything about the place is huge, from the dressing rooms to the hospitality suites.
The pitch looked massive and as for the stands, well they just went higher and higher.
It had an eerie feeling about the place as if it was the lull before the storm.Sunday came and we arrived at the ground about three hours before kick off with supporters already milling around outside.
The time before arrival and kick-off flew past and before I knew it I was leading the Spurs team out onto the pitch for the ceremonial handshakes and the national anthem.
What a feeling, the noise hit you like a tsunami and the hair on the back on my neck stood to attention!My mind wandered back to West Haddon Rec as I stood and admired the myriad of colours and the atmosphere of 90,000 fans singing at the top of their voices.
Was I really there?
The game went very well, and there was no adverse reaction from either management team as to the way I had allowed them to conduct themselves in the technical area.
Handshakes were the order of the day and we left the stadium feeling like a million dollars.
Don’t remember too much about Sunday evening, it must have been a bad glass of wine in the post-match dinner!But as I said a week is a long time because last Saturday I was at West Ham when they entertained Chelsea in a Premier League fixture.
All was going reasonably well, then as two players came together one of my assistants indicated to me that a Chelsea player had struck his opponent and as such I sent him off.
TV evidence subsequently showed that this was not the case and as a consequence I've had to dodge the press all week.
Was I really feeling that good a week or so ago ‘cos I'm feeling a little different this week!
Still I can take it easy next Saturday, I've been appointed to a relatively quiet game…Liverpool v Newcastle!
* At a Regulatory Commission hearing on Tuesday, a claim for wrongful dismissal from Chelsea's Frank Lampard was upheld by the FA.
As a result, Lampard’s three-match suspension has been withdrawn.Lampard was sent off for violent conduct during Chelsea's game against West Ham on Saturday, March 1.
