Home v Medlock Rangers

1^st Round Challenge Cup - Game Postponed

Team coach (James) views on the game:

The referee’s pre-meditated and totally unwarranted decision to postpone this match caused a great deal of aggravation and frustration and I hope on reflection he is thoroughly ashamed of himself. The pitch was perfectly playable; despite a light covering of snow in parts it was soft (indeed, very soft) all over and both myself and the Medlock manager agreed the pitch was fit. All the boys were ready for a game, the pitch had been prepared, there was no wind, the sun came out, and all was set.  

Except however for our nominated referee, who, clearly preferring a morning in bed, turned up at 10.20 not even wearing a ref’s kit and seemed keener to listen to his dad, who was agitating for a postponement, than exercise common sense and play the match. The ref had even rung ME at 9.30 asking if the game was going ahead, if you please! His premise for the postponement was the cover-all ‘safety concerns’, which was as pathetic as it was misplaced. There are risks in any game in any conditions – should we just postpone the entire programme now in that case? Indeed, as I travelled back home, I watched an U10’s match on the Holdsworth St pitch; conditions exactly the same as at NR park and the teams playing without any problems. We were desperately unlucky to have been landed with a ref who didn’t want to play OR do his job properly (i.e. turn up on time and prevent people going to all the trouble they did). 

The whole thing was totally unsatisfactory and I have protested to the league in the strongest terms as we were still obliged to pay the ref expenses and half a match fee, despite the fact that he had angered everybody present with his senseless intransigence and seemed blithely unconcerned about adding further problems to both clubs fixture backlogs. It was very much a case of take the money and run without even considering the opinions of the managers, players, and indeed the overall conditions. Some of our parents speculated that the ref’s dad, proudly sporting a City hat, was keen to either get to or watch City’s early kick-off, and if that is so I am delighted that City got turned over (whilst commiserating with my City parents of course)!

So it is now one game in 5 weeks for the boys since January 1^st which is very frustrating for all concerned, and just leads to further problems down the line. The league secretary has announced that he will schedule matches for Monday and Wednesday evenings as well as Saturdays if the backlog gets too bad, regardless of the availability or otherwise of players. If so this will be a sour end to the season and it can only be hoped that bad officialdom like this will not plague our fixture schedule any further.  

Next match is away at Ashton United.