RateTheRef

As to shorty shorts, Clive Thomas's looked quite long compared to his fellow Welshman Tom Reynolds.

Perhaps it's a Welsh thing. My memory of the referee with the shortest of shorts is of H D Davies of Wenvoe, (a place only known from old TV signals.
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Returning from my Sunday morning Miner's Benedict I caught the second one of this morning's repeats. Three thoughts occurred to me, one from each match featured.
1) I would not have recognised the much younger Allan Gunn.
2) The smart referee of the second match was referred to as Mr Dowling. Was this actually Colin Downey?
R) Having always believed that referees' attire used to be much smarter, I have to admit the Derek Civil, with open plunging V-neck and low-cut white vest looked an absolute mess.

They can huddle to their hearts' content in the dressing room. They should not be necessary on the pitch. It is a silly affectation that has even crept down to non-league steps 5 and 6, where I witnessed a particularly inappropriate one recently.

Quote from: Boris10 on Fri 13 Mar 2026 11:43

Oh dear,how times have changed in West Yorkshire!Last Huddersfield-Bradford bus at 2216!
When Stockport played at home on Friday nights in the late 1960's some of us would go to Huddersfield by bus,then train to Stalybridge,then train to Stockport.Match over at 2115,train to Stalybridge,enough time to visit pub on platform,then train to Huddersfield arrive 2305,then last bus to Bradford[every 15 minutes all day from 0530!] at 2315.Never a cancellation,either!Perhaps someone on Rate the ref could do a PHD on the decline of bus services and its affect on people's lives..................................
Today,Stockport-Stalybridge one train a WEEK.

That one direct train a week will be a "Parliamentry" train.  To completely withdraw the service would require an Act of Parliament, so its easier to run one serive a week.   Only in Britain ....

There has been a major improvement in recent years. There used to be just one train from Stockport to Stalybrihdge, early on Friday morning, if I remember correctly, with no return. Now the service has doubled, it now offers one train both outward and return on Saturdays instead. Progress indeed!

Having left home at 18.00 for the two minutes walk to the bus stop, JCFC was disappointed when the advertised 18.09 bus did not appear and the display was still showing the next buses were expected in 28 and 29 minutes. Resisting the temptation to return home, he. Instead walked on to the bus station, hoping that the alternative route might prove better. At least it would be enclosed there and therefore warmer. While waiting, it was noticed that the last Leeds bus, which had been cancelled last Tuesday, was due and a number of passengers were waiting as indicated at stand D. It duly arrived, but drove straight past and stopped at stand E; the would-be passengers set off in pursuit, but seeing nobody waiting at stand E, the driver set off and disappeared on his merry way to Leeds. Arriva buses once again! The 549 appeared fairly punctually, but would not be in time for the usual bus,so the next one did not depart from Huddersfield until 19.20, but luckily it arrived at East Street with just enough time to walk to the ground, invest in chips and curry sauce and take a seat before the match kicked off at

Tuesday 10th March 2026
NCEFL Premier
Golcar United  3   v   0   Rossington Main
Attendance 321
Adrian Dyson; Nicholas Britcliffe?, Mervyn Collins.


Golcar's recent improvement has seen them slowly moving clear of the relegation zone, whereas Rossington remainnextto bottomless, though only one point behind Albion Sports, with a game in hand and vastly superior goal difference. Golcar have a number of young-looking players, but the youthful visitors' squad made them look almost geriatric.

JCFC was still dealing with his chips when Oliver Russon gave Golcar a 5th minute lead. Rossington were denied an equaliser by a good save by the home keeper three minutes later. Golcar went on to dominate both possession and territory, but perversely, the nearest we came to a goal was when a Rossington break on 20 minutes took two blocks by the keeper and a clearance off the line by a defender to preserve Golcar's lead. As the half entered stoppage time,  a Golcar attacker was hauled down just inside the opposition half. Taking into account distances and other defenders, Mr Dyson did not bow to home players' appeals and showed just a yellow card to the Rossington number 7. For what it is worth, JCFC thought it the correct decision; the ridiculous home manager was not of the same opinion and charged down the touchline, screaming at AR1, who had had no input in proceedings.

An unknown young man had been taking notes in the regulation black folder. He was approached by an incoherent, deaf old fool, but responded politely to questions as to his identity. It turned out that he was Mark Bates, seen on the line at Mossley four years ago, though on that occasion he wasn't wearing his disguise of scarf and woolly hat.

Rossington started the second half well, the home number 7 receiving a yellow card,  and they could and perhaps should have had a goal to show for their efforts. The "youngtras" who had been impressively well behaved last time, were less so this week, moving from their usual position in the corner to congregate immediately behind the visitors' goal. On 55 minutes there was an unusual stoppage: Mr Dyson moved from his position near the centre circle to talk to Mr Collins, who pointed him in the direction of the keeper; he ran over to him, had a brief chat and then continued his lap, heading for the home boss to ask for action to be taken. The rumour is that someone had peed on (surely not in) the keeper's water bottle. Whether true or not, a possession of heavies was despatched to ensure good behaviour. Two minutes later, a Golcar attacker was held back in the penalty area and George Doyle fired home confidently from the spot to double Golcar's lead. This seemed to knock the stuffing out of the visitors and Golcar saw the came comfortably to its conclusion, with Ashley Flynn adding a third goal. There was yellow card for the Rossington number 10 for a foul, but overall the game was played in a good spirit.

Mr Dyson is tall and slim, gangling almost, and his appearance does not initially inspire great confidence. Appearances, though, are deceptive as we know, and Mr Dyson, though not the greatest mover was always there or thereabouts and controlled the game sensibly and well. I hope that Mr Observer Bates does not view matters too differently.

The three points gained helped the hosts to move further away from danger; Rossington remain in trouble, but hopefully they can pick up the points required to leapfrog Albion.

A lift down to Huddersfield made it possible to catch the last Bradford bus at 22.16. Recycling containers were put out and by 22.45 JCFC was in bed with two ginger nuts to accompany his mug of tea.

While most clubs around them have managed to achieve wins, Brighouse Town last won on 1st November and have accordingly slumped to next to bottom of the table. Lincoln United had spent much of the season below them, but despite defeat on Saturday, a run of victories had enabled them to climb out of the immediate danger area. Though even a Brighouse win would still leave them four points from safety, there was definitely a make or break feel to

Wednesday 5th March 2026
NPL Division 1 East
Brighouse Town   v   Lincoln United
Mark Reeves; Sean McKeever, Atticus Mills

Mr Reeves is a familiar figure; the two assistants not so and both appeared pretty young. Equally there was a youthful look to both teams, with Town looking particularly callow. Even so, they began brightly and on 14 minutes the pace of their number 11 on the left enabled him to give Brighouse the lead. Could this be the start of a long road to safety? Such thoughts were quickly put into abeyance as two minutes later it took what looked to be a combination of keeper and post to keep their lead intact. As Lincoln improved, the makeshift home defence looked increasingly ramshackle and panicky. On 27 minutes a Lincoln throw led to a high ball into the area, where a miscued slight touch by a defender presented his opponent with an easy finish. The Brighouse captain saw yellow on the half-hour. Minutes later a clearance from the home defence was handled first by Lincoln, the by Brighouse, who ran clear as Mr Reeves bizarrely let play continue, but was unable to take full advantage, while the United number 5 was cautioned for giving voice to his thoughts. A foul by a Lincoln player saw the Town player fall to his knees, at which point his opponent decided to straddle him, not, one would imagine, the most appealing form of legover. The home number 11 was the recipient of the game's third yellow, when he delayed a free-kick as he rose to his feet and the ball was blasted straight at him... correct, but not nice .

If half-time talk in the home dressing room had been along the lines of "We don't want a draw," the two raw Brighouse fullbacks had misinterpreted this, as each in turn gifted the ball to an opponent, with goalkeeper Acquah having to rescue the situation. There was to be no third time lucky for Town, as Lincoln attacked on their right, drawing Brighouse defenders to their left and the cross finding a man unmarked to give his side the lead. All this within three minutes of the restart. Mr Reeves was still attempting to shepherd them back to their own half when a section of the floodlights failed. Other sections were switched off and on in an attempt to reboot them, before they went out in their entirety. Spectators waited in darkness for the allotted twenty minutes before a triple blast of the whistle confirmed the abandonment. The timing of the failure was surely coincidental, but it was unfortunate, to say the least, for the visitors. It may be fortunate for Town, but it will involve further expenses for the cash-strapped club, particularly as the attendance has dwindled further to a pitiful 127.

On the plus side, JCFC is happy to confirm that the chips that accompanied his steak pie and peas, were indeed chips - and very tasty.

Lloyd Wilson is small enough already, without chopping him in half to send one half to Alloa and the other to Dumfries.

A late morning departure from Sutton, investing £13.85 in a day return, with changes at London Bridge and Lewisham transported JCFC to Gravesend, where the 492 bus completed the journey to

Episode 16
Saturday 28th February 2026
FA Vase 6th Round
Punjab United   1   v   0   Downton
Tommy Breen; Steven Marr, Andrew Tregoning. 4thers Edward Smith.

This match had been selected three and a half weeks ago, while rail tickets and hotel were still affordable, but turned out to have been a bad decision. The first (minor) disappointment came when the referee appointments were published. Not that this implies any dislike of Mr Breen, who had been fine when I saw him, after difficulty in getting into the ground at Hitchin, but it was the only one of the four ties with a referee seen before. Old trainspotting instincts survive. Nevertheless, I was not unhappy as the welcome at the ground was friendly and I was able to secure a seat in one of the two small stands. This proved a catastrophic error, as they are low to the ground and shallowly raked. The "No standing in front of the seats" signs were observed to the letter - two literal-minded chaps deciding that they could therefore occupy the rail in front of the tiny gap between the two. The problem was that with a crowd of 655, the area to the left was packed and virtually the whole of that third of the pitch was invisible. As the pitch has a pronounced right to left slope, that is where most of the first half action occurred.

Mr Tregoning proudly wore his Hertfordshire badge, Mr Marr had added his Essex badge to the usual Quick one. Sadly, Mr Breen's shirt retained its virginal purity. Downton presumably chose to play up the hill, as Punjab kicked off. There were occasional Downton sorties, quickly and easily dealt with, before play once again became invisible. Those in the back row, largely Punjab officials and an unknown CORE coach, were able to stand, but JCFC could not without blocking their view, and was trapped. Reliance was therefore placed in the fact that the absence of any kick-offs (kicks-off?) meant that there had been no score. On 42 minutes Mr Marr's flag was seen waving vigorously above the heads. The Punjab number 9 was on the ground and the clans were gathering to discuss matters. Mr Breen separated the factions and showed a red card to the Downton number 3, who was led away by his goalkeeper. A further unseen offence (the claim appeared to be for a dangerous high foot) led to a mass charge of Downton players towards Mr Breen, who awarded a free-kick, but took no further action. At the half-time whistle, the experienced Downton number 8 sought speech with Mr Breen, but in a reasonably civilised manner.

At this point, the stand emptied to some extent and JCFC was able to escape, finding a standing spot on the rail behind the top goal. Just before the restart, three young guys plonked a tripod with video camera just to the left. This was not in itself a problem, rendering only the immediate corner area out of sight, but had the disadvantage of attracting three pesky kids, whose constant playfighting put JCFC into full King Herod mode - though as the peskiest of the three was female, that would not have solved the situation.

Downton's ten men now had the advantage of the slope, but their attacks were comfortably dealt with by the Punjab defence. The home side managed rather more in attack, but their closest effort was not until the 73 minute, when their number 17 it an opportunist close-range shot just over the crossbar. Downton had for some time been looking happy to play for penalties, but on 86 minutes a high cross was headed home by the Punjab number 6, to see his side progress to the semi-finals. As the normal courtesies were being observed at the final whistle, Mr Breen was approached and harangued by a black-clad gentleman. The referee's hand was raised in a "go away" motion, but the man (presumably the Downton manager) was slow to comply and seconds later Mr Breen's hand was raised once more, this time holding a red card.

There was no difficulty in catching the bus back into town, where the hospitality of Robert Pocock provided pasta Alfredo, with, from a depleted supply, Exmoor Gold, curiously mined in Surrey. The return journey to Sutton went just as smoothly as the outward one, the hotel being reached just after eight.