THE YOUNG REF WHO HAS GONE BACK AFTER BEING BUTTED BY AN IRATE MANAGER
IT IS true what they say about refereeing – it is a lonely profession. Especially at the grassroots levels. I always took great pride in my refereeing, even when the going got tough. But after one especially difficult day as a young and usually enthusiastic 19-year-old, I never felt more alone. That is because at the end of the game, I was attacked. It was a lively Saturday League match in the North-west of England. The home team lost their heads in the latter stages and gave me no option but to send off two of their players. The manager soon followed for his abusive remonstrations. The manager appeared to cool down at full-time. As I stepped into my changing room, he called me from the door. He asked, ‘Ref, are you sending those reports in?’ ‘Yes, I will be,’ I said, as he stepped inside. ‘Even mine?’, ‘Yes, I have to, sorry’. He took a sigh and turned his head to one side as his rage returned. ‘Why the f*** should I be f ****** banned for that’ I vividly remember him saying. As he spoke, he got angrier and louder. He edged closer to me. And then he headbutted me. I stumbled backwards. He returned a couple of minutes later with his hand clenched. Without saying anything, he launched my match fee of £25 – entirely in pound coins – at me, before slamming the door. I was humiliated. As I crawled around the floor picking up my money, I felt vulnerable. But after taking a voluntary week off, I desperately missed being on the pitch. There was no question I was returning, but there is no surprise that others would not.