Going in to Saturdays game between St Andrews & Holwell, I was hopeful that it would be played in the Christmas Spirit. I even made reference to this talking to the captains.  Unfortunately i ended up partaking in another Tradition, giving out Christmas Cards.
We had played a few minutes when a Holwell attacker deliberately pulled back a St Andrews Defender. It wasn’t a massive pull but a clear deliberate ploy to stop him bringing the ball out. I thought I could (probably should) caution here. However having played less than 5 minutes lets give the game a chance, and I pulled him over and gave him a verbal talking to.    We played anoter 10 minutes and then the exact same thing happened at the other end.  I thought its one a piece now and having spoken earlier I thought I need to do the same thing as there so close together.  If the first had been at this point I would have gone straight caution, but I had wanted to give the game a chance.
A couple of minutes later, a Holwell player tripped a St Andrews player from behind, and so the card count started.   A bout 10 minutes later the St Andrews player I had spoken to earlier then tripped an opponent from behind.   A couple of minutes after that I give a routine free kick to Holwell and with the ball about 5 yards away from a Holwell player. The St Andrews player kicked it 20 yards past him. So from nothing to 3 cautions in the space of 15 minutes!
I was thinking hopefully this will settle down but that wasnt the case.  An Andrews player had been going in hard on some challenges and then went in reckless on an opponent.  He took the ball but it was so reckless, I cautioned him.  However because he took the ball I should have allowed it. I explained that I agree he had taken the ball, but it was a dangerous challenge.   Â
Then in the last minute I cautioned to more Holwell players. One for booting the ball right across the other side of the field of play, the other for a challenge.
Walking of at half time with the score 1-0 to Andrews I couldn’t really belive that i had just had 6 cautions in 30 minutes.  However I couldn’t really have managed any of them with out losing credibility.
After about 10 minutes of the 2nd half I had to caution another Holwell player for a tackle from behind.    I was aware that I needed to be consistent and also aware that I wanted to try to not add to that caution count. Â
I maybe should have issued a 2nd caution to a St Andrews player, when from a cross into the Holwell box he reached up and punched the ball back.  Why I dont know, but it cost his team a chance on goal. I felt while I would have been right to issue a 2nd caution, it would have been a cheap card. If it had been against Holwell and took an advantage from them, then I would have. However he punished his own side so I left it there.  As it happened 10 minutes later he went in with another reckless challenge, and this time I had no option but to issue a 2nd caution.
The game played out then with no further cautions, although there was further goals with St Andrews winning 2-1.  Â
One other thing of note form the game. I got talking whilst walking the pitch to two ground hoppers.  They had travelled down from Rotherham (if i remember correctly) to watch the game.    We had an interesting conversation about how they went to Ross County last year, only for the game to called off 30 minutes before kick off!   I hope you enjoyed the game and had safe journeys home.
I’d have probably tried to nail it with the caution after 5 minutes. That would say you’re not taking any cr#p from the players. I’ve found even at my level that you give them an inch they’ll take a mile. Perhaps the first two incidents where you say you should have cautioned, had you got the book out would that have prevented the flurry later on?
It’s a difficult one to call. But those first 15 minutes are often the make or break of your day. Setting the standard. It’s difficult to tell how they’d have reacted to a couple of early cautions, but if they know it should be a caution, and see you only having a word, it’s like Gremlins having food after midnight - chaos.