Matchday VII Post Mortem

The match actually started at 9.30am. And not 11am as some of the emails suggested. I had planned the morning for 11am.

I had breakfast and toast and set off for Aubervilliers. Fortunately all the connections came and I got to the pitch in enough time.

I didn't have enough time to do my warm up routines fully and I had just finished my second lap of the track when there was screaming about whether I wanted to go on. One of the players who was just back from injury injured himself and limped off with a gammy groin.

I thought it was too soon to be in the fray and took over being linesman.

I think I should have taken my chances on the pitch as trying to be an official is not my idea of football. Especially when one of the opposition liked standing in an off-side position and then running back onside.

Left me baffled and I allowed play to go on once when it should have been off-side. Oh well err on the side of the opposition is my motto. Not likely to endear you to your team mates.

The opponents scored through some flukey goal and though I observed from the sidelines quite a few chances for us, they didn't go in.

Of course my introduction at the start of the second half changed the course of the game. And it ended up with a 2-1 win to us. I didn't set up any goals, I'm not sure what I contributed but I was on the pitch and we won.

The kindest thing to say is that I gave the defence something else to think about. A different kind of movement.

A win and no muscles pulled. A result.