Numbers problem over call for fourth officials at SFL games

Wednesday 31 October 2012

DAVID THOMSON, the Scottish Football League's operations director, has said introducing fourth officials at lower-league matches could prove difficult in practice, but accepts it is for the clubs to decide whether to push for such a move.

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Herald Staff

The issue was raised after Saturday's first division game between Dunfermline and Cowdenbeath where the start of the second half was significantly delayed after an injury left the referee, Kevin Clancy, unable to continue.

Linesman Douglas Ross agreed to take charge but an appeal had to be made to the crowd for an official to take his place. A steward at the match, John Campbell, a Category 6 referee in the Kirkcaldy district leagues, eventually came forward.

Jim Jefferies, the Dunfermline manager, said after the match that a fourth official should be appointed for all league games "because these things happen and it is ridiculous we got to this stage".Colin Cameron, the Cowdenbeath player-manager, whose first-half clash with Clancy caused the referee's injury, also said replacement officials should be on hand. However, Thomson pointed out there is a limited pool of officials to cover matches at a variety of levels across Scotland."In an ideal world, it might be great to have a fourth official at each game but, straight away, there is a problem with the number of officials available," he said."The match officials appointed by the SFA have to cover not only the SFL and the SPL, but also the Highland League, East of Scotland League, South of Scotland League, the juniors and so on."There is a huge commitment there. There are certain games we do appoint fourth officials to – for example, this week's League Cup games, but there are only four of them."I know there was a lengthy delay to the Dunfermline game on Saturday. Such things happen but not regularly."There already is a great pressure on the availability of match officials to cover the games up and down the country and I would say it would be virtually impossible from a logistical point of view to introduce fourth officials for all games in the SFL."The policy has been [to have] three officials, except in certain cases, like the League Cup matches or live television matches. But it's a matter for the clubs to decide, ultimately. Clubs are perfectly entitled to raise the issue for the board to consider in future."Meanwhile, Ross, the stand-in referee, says he felt like a celebrity on Saturday when he came out to take charge of the second half at East End Park.After a half-time interval that lasted 34 minutes rather than the regulation 15, the officials emerged to an ambush by photographers.Ross said: "I stepped out of the dressing room and between there and the pitch was a bank of photographers, all keen to see what the hold- up had been. It was like a celebrity stepping on to the red carpet with all the flashes going off."If I looked startled as I walked out, it was more to do with the cameras going off than the task ahead of me."The players were keen to get going. When I reached the centre circle, a couple of themtold me they had nights out arranged and the delay was starting to impinge on their plans. Little did they know that I had a three-hour-plus journey home, so the delay meant I would get back quite a bit later than expected."

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Numbers problem over call for fourth officials at SFL games

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