Seeing Red (31 page)

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Authors: Graham Poll

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The first of my twenty-seven seasons and the start of the journey from parks to the Premiership. The four columns on the right before the result were when I received and then confirmed details from the fixture secretary and then the home club. I did not include a column for crowds because there weren't any. I did not have a column for cautions, either, because there were not many of those. Challenges which would

Away team
R
C
R
C
Result
Anchor
_
_
_
_
6–0
Bedwell Rangers
_
_
_
_
3–7
Taylors
_
_
_
_
18–0
Wymondley United
_
_
_
_
3–3
Stevenage Post Office Res
_
_
_
_
4–1
Fairlands Youth
_
_
_
_
2–11
Derby Way Wanderers
_
_
_
_
0–5
Stevenage Minor League
_
_
_
_
0–4
City Hearts
_
_
_
_
4–2
Goffs Oak
_
_
_
_
6–0
Lister Hospital
_
_
_
_
1–7
Fairlands Youth
_
_
_
_
0–4
Fold United
_
_
_
_
1–2
Fairlands Youth
_
_
_
_
0–11
Whitehill
_
_
_
_
1–2
Borg Warner
_
_
_
_
0–1
Southfields
_
_
_
_
5–0
Elliot Sports
_
_
_
_
7–2
Cygnet Athletic
_
_
_
_
6–0
Weston United
_
_
_
_
3–1
Austen Arrowheads
_
_
_
_
6–0
Bedwell Rangers
_
_
_
_
4–1
Argonauts
_
_
_
_
1–5
St Margaretsbury
_
_
_
_
3–0
Wycombe Wanderers
_
_
_
_
1–6
Longmeadow Athletic
_
_
_
_
4–5
St Ippolyts Res
_
_
_
_
0–0
Bedwell Rangers
_
_
_
_
0–3
Wilbury Wanderers
_
_
_
_
0–3
Westmill United
_
_
_
_
0–5
Suffolk
_
_
_
_
1–4
Henlow Res
_
_
_
_
5–1
Derby Way Wanderers
_
_
_
_
4–2
Mount Grace O.S.
_
_
_
_
4–1
Austen Arrowheads
_
_
_
_
8–0
Kings
_
_
_
_
3–3
Whitehill
_
_
_
_
1–8
Kalstan
_
_
_
_
1–1
Bovingdon Res
_
_
_
_
0–0
Shephall Athletic
_
_
_
_
2–4
Hitchin Clublanders
_
_
_
_
3–0
Woodland
_
_
_
_
4–0
Sandridge Rovers
_
_
_
_
2–1
White Lion
_
_
_
_
10–0
Stevenage
_
_
_
_
1–7
Codicote
_
_
_
_
10–0
Panshanger
_
_
_
_
4–2
Cottered
_
_
_
_
2–1
Royal Oak
_
_
_
_
0–1 aet
ICI Plastics Res
_
_
_
_
1–1
Sandon
_
_
_
_
2–1
Westmill United
_
_
_
_
3–2

be illegal now were commonplace and bookings were a rarity. In that entire first season, I remember that I only took five names. You can see that, almost straight away, I was doing three games a weekend. I was seventeen and yet I did more men's matches than youth games. At the end of the season I was appointed linesman at three cup finals – more than I appeared in during my entire playing career.

MY FINAL SEASON
Date
Competition
Home team
8 Aug
Friendly
Other 1
Tring Athletic
9 Aug
Friendly
Other 2
Chelsea
12 Aug
Championship
FL 1
Colchester United
19 Aug
FA Premier League
PL 1
Arsenal
23 Aug
UEFA Ch. Lge. 3rd Qual, 2nd leg
UEFA 1
Steaua Bucharest
26 Aug
FA Premier League
PL 2
Fulham
6 Sep
EURO 08 Qualifier
UEFA 2
Poland
9 Sep
FA Premier League
PL 3
Everton
13 Sep
Coca Cola League One
FL 2
Brentford
17 Sep
FA Premier League
PL 4
Manchester United
23 Sep
FA Premier League
PL 5
Middlesbrough
27 Sep
UEFA Ch. League Group Day 2
UEFA 3
Real Madrid
30 Sep
FA Premier League
PL 6
Chelsea
2 Oct
FA Premier League
4th 1
Watford
14 Oct
FA Premier League
PL 7
Portsmouth
18 Oct
UEFA Ch. League Group Day 3
UEFA 4
Olympiakos
22 Oct
FA Premier League
PL 8
Manchester United
28 Oct
FA Premier League
PL 9
Fulham
5 Nov
FA Premier League
PL 10
Tottenham Hotspur
8 Nov
Carling Cup 4th Round
FL 3
Everton
11 Nov
FA Premier League
PL 11
Manchester City
18 Nov
FA Premier League
PL 12
Reading
2 Dec
FA Premier League
PL 13
Arsenal
6 Dec
UEFA Ch. League Group Day 6
UEFA 5
AC Milan
9 Dec
FA Premier League
PL 14
Manchester United
16 Dec
FA Premier League
PL 15
Reading
23 Dec
FA Premier League
PL 16
Portsmouth
27 Dec
FA Premier League
PL 17
Charlton Athletic
30 Dec
FA Premier League
4th 2
Watford
1 Jan
FA Premier League
PL 18
Liverpool
6 Jan
FA Cup, 3rd Round
FA 1
Sheffield Wednesday
13 Jan
FA Premier League
PL 19
West Ham United
24 Jan
Carling Cup Semi-final 1
FL 4
Tottenham Hotspur
27 Jan
FA Cup, 4th Round
FA 2
Bristol City
31 Jan
FA Premier League
PL 20
Chelsea
3 Feb
FA Premier League
PL 21
Wigan Athletic
10 Feb
Coca Cola Championship
FL 5
Coventry City
17 Feb
FA Cup, 5th Round
FA 3
Manchester United
25 Feb
FA Premier League
PL 22
Tottenham Hotspur
28 Feb
FA Cup, 5th Round Replay
FA 4
Blackburn Rovers
8 Mar
UEFA Cup Round of 16 1st leg
UEFA 6
Paris St Germain
31 Mar
FA Premier League
PL 23
Newcastle
7 Apr
FA Premier League
PL 24
Arsenal
9 Apr
FA Premier League
PL 25
Charlton Athletic
15 Apr
FA Premier League
PL 26
Wigan Athletic
18 Apr
FA Premier League
PL 27
Liverpool
21 Apr
FA Premier League
PL 28
Fulham
28 Apr
FA Premier League
PL 29
Wigan Athletic
3 May
UEFA Cup semi final, 2nd leg
UEFA 7
Sevilla
6 May
Friendly
Other 3
Tring Tornadoes Managers
9 May
FA Premier League
PL 30
Chelsea
13 May
FA Premier League
PL 31
Portsmouth
18 May
CC League One Play-off semi
FL 6
Nottingham Forest
28 May
Championship Play-off Final
FL 7
Derby County

MATCHES: 54 (52 Referee, 2 4th); REFEREED: 7 FIFA/UEFA, 4 FA, 31 Premier league, 7 Football league, 3 other.

My last season, and a very different set of statistics from a very different world. I no longer had to worry about getting confirmation of the kick-off time and venue, butthe number of cautions had risen to an average of just over four a game and 1.8million spectators paid to watch matches with which I was entrusted. This last set of

Away team
Result
C
S/0
Attendance
Bedmond Social
5–0
0
0
50
Celtic
1–1
2
0
21,000
Barnsley
0–2
3
0
5,000
Aston Villa
1–1
3
0
60,000
Standard Liege
2–1
9
1
50,000
Sheffield United
1–0
6
0
22,000
Serbia
1–1
7
0
15,000
Liverpool
3–0
4
0
40,000
Swansea
0–2
4
0
4,000
Arsenal
0–1
4
0
75,500
Blackburn Rovers
0–1
4
0
26,000
Dynamo Kiev
5–1
2
1
80,000
Aston Villa
1–1
2
0
41,000
Fulham
3–3
4th
–
–
–
West Ham United
2–0
8
0
21,000
AS Roma
0–1
1
0
32,000
Liverpool
2–0
4
0
75,800
Wigan Athletic
0–1
3
0
21,000
Chelsea
2–1
9
1
36,000
Arsenal
0–1
3
1
32,000
Newcastle United
0–0
4
0
42,000
Charlton Athletic
2–0
4
0
25,000
Tottenham Hotspur
3–0
3
0
60,000
Lille OSC
0–2
1
0
40,000
Manchester City
3–1
4
1
75,000
Blackburn Rovers
1–2
3
0
23,000
Sheffield United
3–1
2
0
24,000
Fulham
2–2
0
0
25,000
Wigan Athletic
Abandoned 56'
1–1
4th
–
–
–
Bolton Wanderers
3–0
3
0
40,000
Manchester City
1–1
5
0
30,000
Fulham
3–3
10
1
30,000
Arsenal
2–2
5
0
36,000
Middlesbrough
2–2
2
0
19,000
Blackburn Rovers
3–0
1
0
38,000
Portsmouth
1–0
1
0
15,000
Cardiff City
2–2
5
1
17,000
Reading
1–1
3
0
70,000
Bolton Wanderers
4–1
4
1
35,000
Arsenal
1–0
6
0
19,000
Benfica
2–1
4
0
35,000
Manchester City
0–1
4
0
52,004
West Ham United
0–1
1
0
60,053
Reading
0–0
1
0
27,000
Tottenham Hotspur
3–3
3
0
16,000
Middlesbrough
2–0
1
0
43,000
Blackburn Rovers
1–1
2
0
23,000
West Ham United
0–3
3
0
22,000
Osasuna
2–0
5
0
45,000
Tring Tornadoes U-16
2–1
0
0
350
Manchester United
0–0
7
0
42,000
Arsenal
0–0
0
0
20,000
Yeovil
2–5 aet
8
1
26,000
West Bromwich Albion
1–0
8
0
75,000

1,806,757

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