Ref Watch Refwatch .......... Torquay (H)

[Mick]

Matches against Torquay commenced in the 1920s. Since then, we have met 88 times in the league, with us having won 34 games, Torquay having won 27 - the other 27 finishing level. Our last meeting was the home fixture back in May, a 1-1 draw, thanks to a rare goal from James Dunne after Jason Demetriou was sent off fairly early in the second half.

Torquay have had the lowest total number of goals in their matches this season (despite 4 on Monday) with just 8 goals in their 6 matches. We are second lowest with 9 from our 6.

As the appointments stand at the moment, the referee is scheduled to be Robert Massey-Ellis from Coventry, the husband (and Ellis part) of Sian Massey-Ellis who has regularly featured on televised Premier League matches proving to be one of the more reliable Assistant Referees.

Aged about 40, he is an Executive Director of a Medical Centre. Indeed, whilst his wife has been travelling the world officiating in all the top women’s tournaments, he has been engaged in all sorts of worthy activities. These include Operations Manager for the RSPCA, Management in the British Red Cross and Medical Manager for the British Army.

In his spare time, he has been working his way up through the ranks of non-league refereeing and is now in his third season as a National League referee. Last season his 20 matches saw a high-ish 78 yellows and a low-ish 1 red. Not included in those National League stats is our home match against Dorking in the FA Trophy when I don’t think he impressed greatly nor was he particularly bad. I don’t recall any cards. Last season, he was also appointed to do the postponed home match against Maidenhead and then appointed for the Yeovil away match but changed at the last minute.

He did finally make it to Roots Hall for a League match in what was our antepenultimate home game of the season on St Georges Day when we beat Halifax 1-0 thanks to a Kenny Clark goal. Just the two yellows shared; ours was Neal.

Then normal service resumed this season with him being appointed to our season opener at home to Boreham Wood and then reallocated with a late appointment at Barnet. The 6 matches he has done this season have seen a high 23 yellows and 4 reds.

Assisting will be Ayrton Hursey, a PE teacher from Colchester and Matt Morrison also a teacher and from Bury St Edmunds. The latter’s younger brother, Michael, has played over 600 League matches for Portsmouth, Reading, Birmingham, Charlton, Sheff Wed, Leicester and Cambridge United.

Fourth Official is Mark Pond from Basildon, who appeared as an Assistant twice last season.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Matches against Torquay commenced in the 1920s. Since then, we have met 88 times in the league, with us having won 34 games, Torquay having won 27 - the other 27 finishing level. Our last meeting was the home fixture back in May, a 1-1 draw, thanks to a rare goal from John Dunne after Jason Demetriou was sent off fairly early in the second half.

Torquay have had the lowest total number of goals in their matches this season (despite 4 on Monday) with just 8 goals in their 6 matches. We are second lowest with 9 from our 6.

As the appointments stand at the moment, the referee is scheduled to be Robert Massey-Ellis from Coventry, the husband (and Ellis part) of Sian Massey-Ellis who has regularly featured on televised Premier League matches proving to be one of the more reliable Assistant Referees.

Aged about 40, he is an Executive Director of a Medical Centre. Indeed, whilst his wife has been travelling the world officiating in all the top women’s tournaments, he has been engaged in all sorts of worthy activities. These include Operations Manager for the RSPCA, Management in the British Red Cross and Medical Manager for the British Army.

In his spare time, he has been working his way up through the ranks of non-league refereeing and is now in his third season as a National League referee. Last season his 20 matches saw a high-ish 78 yellows and a low-ish 1 red. Not included in those National League stats is our home match against Dorking in the FA Trophy when I don’t think he impressed greatly nor was he particularly bad. I don’t recall any cards. Last season, he was also appointed to do the postponed home match against Maidenhead and then appointed for the Yeovil away match but changed at the last minute.

He did finally make it to Roots Hall for a League match in what was our antepenultimate home game of the season on St Georges Day when we beat Halifax 1-0 thanks to a Kenny Clark goal. Just the two yellows shared; ours was Neal.

Then normal service resumed this season with him being appointed to our season opener at home to Boreham Wood and then reallocated with a late appointment at Barnet. The 6 matches he has done this season have seen a high 23 yellows and 4 reds.

Assisting will be Ayrton Hursey, a PE teacher from Colchester and Matt Morrison also a teacher and from Bury St Edmunds. The latter’s younger brother, Michael, has played over 600 League matches for Portsmouth, Reading, Birmingham, Charlton, Sheff Wed, Leicester and Cambridge United.

Fourth Official is Mark Pond from Basildon, who appeared as an Assistant twice last season.

I think it was the slightly less poetical James Dunne who scored that day.

 

[Holy Joe]

Lino from Colchester. He can't win, dodgy decisions against us he's a biased Col u fan, dodgy for us and torquay will claim he's biased from Essex

 

[Mick]

I think it was the slightly less poetical James Dunne who scored that day.

Thank you; I've amended that typo.

John Donne wrote an excellent and short piece after being thrown into jail for secretly marrying a 17 year old relative of his boss. "John Donne, Anne Donne, Undone"

 

[Harry Bullocks]

T'would appear to be another "card-fest" on its way

 

[Jai]

Torquay fans are concerned that they were bullied by Woking on Monday. They have a young side and will be pleased if it is a strong ref. However, one of our biggest issues is we aren't really capable of bullying anyone either so it might be a nice clean game of football.

 

[Mick]

Torquay fans are concerned that they were bullied by Woking on Monday. They have a young side and will be pleased if it is a strong ref.

If I were them, I'd be more concerned about the fact they've only scored 2 goals all season.

 

[londonblue]

If I were them, I'd be more concerned about the fact they've only scored 2 goals all season.

Please don't say things like that until after our match.

 

[Mick]

...

Assisting will be Ayrton Hursey, a PE teacher from Colchester and Matt Morrison also a teacher and from Bury St Edmunds. The latter’s younger brother, Michael, has played over 600 League matches for Portsmouth, Reading, Birmingham, Charlton, Sheff Wed, Leicester and Cambridge United.

Fourth Official is Mark Pond from Basildon, who appeared as an Assistant twice last season.

Slight change to the officiating team for today's match. Mark Pond is no longer Fourth Official and he is replaced by Michael Robertson-Tant from Colchester. Formerly a Military Policeman and Security Officer at the Garrison, also a driving instructor and now into property investment.

 

[Holy Joe]

2 officials from Colchester. Oh dear

 

[Mick]

Slight change to the officiating team for today's match. Mark Pond is no longer Fourth Official and he is replaced by Michael Robertson-Tant from Colchester. Formerly a Military Policeman and Security Officer at the Garrison, also a driving instructor and now into property investment.

Not that anyone is remotely concerned but, for the record, there was a further late change with Alex Mathieson from Aldershot replacing Matt Morrison as Assistant.

 

[Swiss Tony]

Same **** different package,weak as ****

 

[Maldon Shrimper]

I would like to learn from anyone who is a qualified referee why they dont clamp down on time wasting. Early on in the Torquay game it was crystal clear from all watching the game that the Goalkeeper was time wasting at no time did the referee speak to the player until he yellow carded him around the 70th minute far to late.An early booking might make a goalkeeper think about timewasting and running the risk of a sending off if he continues.

 

[Lavender Blue]

I think booking goalie for time wasting, is a waste of time, most players know, they won’t get a second yellow unless they actually kill someone. Their number 15 should have had a second yellow but once again Ref bottled it.

 

[GNH]

Very odd performance from the ref on Saturday. Few points of note.

• Their #2 pulled back Powell early on the second half, an easy yellow card decision but as he had already been booked he bottled it.
• After we scored, the fracas in the goal to retrieve the ball was a contest between their keeper and one of our players (think it was Lomas?) after the keeper wouldn't let go of the ball, something he instigated. The outcome being that our player is cautioned and their keeper wasn't, again he was already on a yellow card. How can it be a different sanction for both players?
• The blatant time wasting from the 7th minute by the keeper should have been dealt with much earlier, the ref was constantly telling him to hurry up but he just ignored him
• Happy to let a lot of things go unpunished but had a strange fascination about taking throw ins from the exact blade of grass where the ball went out. On many, many occasions he made the player move back 2-3 feet before allowing the throw to be taken, wasting more time. Never seen that before.

 

[Maldon Blues]

Having already been booked for timewasting, intrigued as to why 'keeper didn't receive a second booking for deliberately delaying play after our goal by holding the ball in the goal.

 

[kentblues]

The standard is poor but after the biblical levels of incompetence shown in the Premier League over this weekend by referees and VAR can we really expect anything different at level 5? We want better refs then then that will incrementally happen as we get promoted (hopefully..)

 

[Maldon Shrimper]

I think booking goalie for time wasting, is a waste of time, most players know, they won’t get a second yellow unless they actually kill someone. Their number 15 should have had a second yellow but once again Ref bottled it.

Time wasting is rampant in today's game and it's about time that officials got a grip with it.I agree it's very unlikely that a referee would send a goalkeeper off for it but the first one that does would make players think very hard about their behaviour.In the meantime as supporters we have to put up with it regrettably

 

[kentblues]

Time wasting is rampant in today's game and it's about time that officials got a grip with it.I agree it's very unlikely that a referee would send a goalkeeper off for it but the first one that does would make players think very hard about their behaviour.In the meantime as supporters we have to put up with it regrettably

I think the problem is they are not sending them off for it as such- they are giving a yellow card and if they already have one then you are off.

The issue it seems that even normally automatic yellows (the shirt pull) aren't given if already on a yellow. So generally you have to commit a lot worse offence for the second yellow that the first. That not in the laws of the game- its just weak referees. Some make rods for the own back of course by giving out absurd week yellows early on and then the inconsistency when avoiding giving a second yellow later is glaring.

This is where 10 minutes in the sin bin for a second yellow might work better. But its all about consistency either way?

 

[Maldon Blues]

I think booking goalie for time wasting, is a waste of time, most players know, they won’t get a second yellow unless they actually kill someone. Their number 15 should have had a second yellow but once again Ref bottled it.

Still give a free-kick to the 'keeper...