Exmouth Town manager, Kevin Hill, has been involved in the game for three decades and in that time he has seen a lot. But even he didn’t expect to be running the line in his 250th League game in charge of the Devon club.
The situation arose on Saturday in their Pitching In Southern League Division One South clash at Bristol Manor Farm when, with one match official short, the home club put out an appeal to find a replacement as the clock ticked down towards kick-off time.
“Various avenues were explored to find someone qualified to step in, quite literally, at the last minute,” Hill told us. “With the prospect of the game being postponed if no-one could be found, I said that if the worst came to the worst, I would do it as long as everyone was in agreement.
“I know their Gaffer well and he was happy as were the other two match officials. I had my co-manager, Dave Pearse, alongside me so I knew that the team would be in safe hands with him looking after them, so I took the flag and got kitted out.
“I made it clear that I would keep it simple; just flag for throw-ins, corners and offsides, I wouldn’t get involved in any other stuff. By the same token, it was made clear that I wouldn’t be able to do any coaching from my position, so that was all left to the guys in the dug-out.
“I have to admit that it was strange seeing my team right in front of me yet not being able to shout instructions to them!
“There was an offside I gave against my player after ten minutes, but it was the right decision and he accepted it. To be honest, there were no problems at all throughout the game, it was played in the right spirit and the players appreciated the situation.
“It was certainly a new situation for me and I actually quite enjoyed it! Like most managers, I have criticised assistant referees over the years and had banter with them during games, so it was good to be able step up and actually give it a go to be able to see things from their perspective and put myself in their shoes as it were.
“There are so many tasks to do on matchdays and so much to think about, it was nice to step out of the stress of the dug-out for a little while!
“It wasn’t how I expected my 250th game in charge to go and we also had the disappointment of losing to a last-minute goal, but I had some positive comments from both sides about my performance, so that was nice.
“There was even one point when I out-paced the winger and full-back as they chased a ball down the wing, so there could be no complaints about me not being able to keep up with play!
“Seriously, I am full of respect for the job that all match officials do and now I can say that I have given it a go too.”
The defeat was Exmouth’s second in a row having previously gone seven without loss in the League.
“We lost our unbeaten run at home to Willand Rovers in a game where we just didn’t compete and ended up getting what we deserved,” Hill added. “We were better at the weekend, but ultimately got caught out at the death and came away with nothing.
“It just shows how everyone is capable of beating each other in this division that we are still second in the table. Yate Town apart, everyone else is much of a muchness and it makes for an exciting battle.
“That said, we’ve started the season well; we brought in a few new faces over the summer and even though a number of those have since departed, what it did was help to keep the other lads on their toes and they have stepped up to show what they are capable of so far this season.
“It’s interesting to note that since I took over in the summer of 2018, there are seven or eight players who have stayed with me throughout and have stepped up the levels with me.
“The club is now competing at its highest-ever level and I am proud of what we have achieved over those six or seven years and 250 games.
“We have a core of local lads who are passionate about the club and in turn our supporters can relate to them and there’s a real spirit and togetherness that exists as a result.
“As a club we’re realistic about how far we can go; since the start of the season we’ve been able to lay some good foundations and our aim is to build on them during the second half of the campaign and maintain our challenge in amongst the leading pack.
“Going into the season our target was to be involved in the top half of the table having been in the bottom half throughout last year and we’ve certainly achieved that and more so far.
“We’ll be ready to go again on Saturday when we return to home soil against a Bemerton Heath Harlequins side who have seen an upturn in their form recently. It’ll be another tough test, just like they all are, and I expect to be back watching from my usual vantage point of the dug-out this time!”
As a footnote, Saturday’s victory marked Bristol Manor Farm manager, Lee Lashenko’s 100th Southern League win for the club, so we congratulate him on his achievement.
IMAGE: @ABarnham_Photo
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