Faith restored - season ends with gripping promotion tie

I had thought my season was over but I got a call on Thursday asking me to run the line in a game that would decide the champions of Division Two.Games at this level usually have to make do with subs holding the flag, but the importance of the clash meant the league provided three neutral officials instead of one.

Played on the local Recreation ground, us three officials took it in turn to change in the tiny dressing room, but the game itself was a thriller, played in just the right spirit.
Running the line is, in some ways, more demanding than refereeing as it's harder to maintain concentration when the ball's at the other end. Realising the importance of the game helped me, however, and after half an hour I needed every ounce of that concentration when a shot from the wannabee champions was cleared off the line and the whole attacking team screamed for the goal, saying it crossed the line.
This type of decision is taken by an assistant referee on pure instinct. I have no clear recollection of where the ball was exactly, but I just know that the whole thing didn't cross the line. It was so close, but the value of having neutral - and qualified - assistants was clear when the attacking team accepted the decision immediately.
The game was a cracker and remained scoreless until 70 minutes. The home team, in third place but far behind the leaders, had decided not to let the second place team get an easy three points to take them to the top of the table on the last day of the season.
In fact the home team had the best of the chances before the champions-elect managed to squeeze a goal home and hold out for the remaining 20 minutes before the inevitable scenes of jubilation from the new champs on an afternoon that showed off what is impressive about local football.
And so that's it until mid August. Between now and then there'll be a month in Poland at the European championships and three weeks in a hotel in London while I spend long days at the Olympics.