RateTheRef

I know it as  Sport and Exercise Psychology Accreditation Route but not sure that fits with JCFC's post!

Well, that's the first time JCFC and Exercise have ever appeared in the same sentence.

Thank you for another splendid report JCFC.  Kate Hankey, a peripheral member of the wonderful Clapham Sect, of course wrote about "the early dew of morning" though I have no doubt about the early rain in Brighouse.

I suspect that for those lower in the Pyramid the glory, if any such there be, is anything but empty and the cost is paid by the faithful supporters.

Please be assured of my enormous appreciation of your match reports. Indeed these words are most apposite :-

" Tell me the story always,
      If you would really be,
   In any time of trouble,
      A comforter to me "

The precipitation patterns in Yorkshire must be quite different to those of Suffolk where I was brought up where the expression "rain before seven, fine before eleven " was often quoted and invariably proved correct. Being near the coast and not near significant hills meant weather fronts were blown in and out quite quickly.

Your post JCFC has brought back all sorts of gentle and sentimental memories for me. 'Tell me the old, old story' was one of my Grandmother's favourite hymns together with 'The old rugged Cross'. She was a staunch Wesleyan Methodist and would sometimes sing them when doing her housework. Even more telling for me is the fact that when, as a child, I was seeking to invent some excuse for wrongdoing or else trying to inveigle some special treatment or other, my dear late Mama would sing  'Tell me the old, old story'

I am in danger of getting maudlin; I have been humming the tune to myself for much of the morning.

With all that early subliminal knowledge, I bet you do a mean chain stitch JCFC

I expect you have one of those rotating wheels in the middle of your dining room table as well !

I do hope you were at Brighouse last night JCFC - sounded incident packed!

JCFC must have upset ell rather badly for him to hope that he had to endure the miserable evening at

Monday 6th March 2023
NPL Division 1 East
Brighouse Town   1   v   1   Sheffield
Arran Williams; Dean Grant, Abdul Hakimy.

As predicted the attendance had fallen once again - to just 168. After Saturday's defeat, Town got off to a good start. On 5 minutes a home attacker was fouled as he ran into the goal area. Mr Williams immediately blew for the penalty. In the lengthy discussion that ensued, it was not clear when Mr Williams showed the red card - indeed, the SEPAR had not noticed the dismissal until JCFC pointed out the player trudging down the touchline towards the dressing rooms. Given the position, JCFC tended to sympathise with Mr Williams, but was in a minority, even the home manager declaring that it should not have been a dismissal offence. The keeper got a hand to the spot kick, but could not keep it out. Sheffield lost two further players to injuries in quick time, finding themselves without a regular centre-back. JCFC showed his naivety, assuming that the way to make their numerical advantage tell was to use the space and stretch the opposition by retaining possession and passing the ball. Brighouse, aware of Sheffield's makeshift defence opted for long balls forward, with Sheffield, understandably content to respond in kind - looking the sharper when they did so. Town were indeed fortunate on a couple of occasions that the visitors failed to take their chances. On 43 minutes, JCFC remarked that it was the time that Town concede penalties. Not so this time, merely a free-kick, which led to a header which the home keeper should have saved rather than parrying to an attacker to equalise.

Spectators of all persuasions were of the opinion that what we had witnessed bore little resemblance to football, just kick and rush, and the second half proved no different. JCFC lost the will to live and to keep track of what was happening (if anything) on the field. On 83 minutes a Town defender had a tug at an opponent on the far side of the penalty area - clearly an attack-stopper, but unless there was some extra skulduggery the position did not seem to suggest that any goal-scoring opportunity was sufficiently obvious to merit the red card that resulted. Five minutes later the home captain jumped into an aerial challenge. Mr Williams must have spotted something not apparent from the stand as Brighouse were reduced to nine men. They picked up a further yellow - it was hard to keep track of cautions, Mr Williams being less than demonstrative in his showing of cards. The point gained lifted Town briefly one position further from the relegation zone, but provided no pleasure for the locals.

Mr Williams had refereed, reasonably well, at Brighouse in January. On this occasion he was under pressure following the early red card and his decisions were regularly contested by players, coaches and spectators. There were a number of free-kicks - though it was by no means a dirty game - and many of them were perhaps soft. A soft foul, we know, is still a foul, but as on his previous visit, there appeared to be a few occasions when clean tackles were penalised. Sadly, he never quite appeared on top of events - an evening he will probably not have greatly enjoyed. In that, he joined the vast majority of spectators. so much so that not even the presence of number 1 Jack seems likely to tempt JCFC to Liversedge tonight.