Back to the nitty gritty of The Cow Shed and Maidstone Civil Service CLub

OK that's enough of the fancy pants Kent County League Premier Division games, it's back to the nitty gritty of amateur football this weekend, with one game on a ground once dubbed The Cow Shed and another on Sunday morning around the back of Maidstone's Civil Service Club. Before you ask, I have no idea what elements of the Civil Service are based in Maidstone, but I'm sure someone out there in Blog Land could enlighten me.

I'll probably have to change course 180 degrees but it's always been a pleasure reffing in West Farleigh, one of the nicest clubs I've ever encountered. The village is on the slops of the Medway Valley just a couple of miles from my home so it's always easy to get to. (especially tomorrow, when most of Kent's motorway netwrok appears to be closing down after a lorry demolished a footbridge a week ago.)
The team and its officials are always friendly and swearing is frowned upon. Tomorrow's game is against a new team for me, Ashford Reserves. Their first team used to play in the Ryman league and the reserves have only recently joined my league.
The West Farleigh pitch is fine these days, although it slopes down pretty sharply towards the river. It was once upon a time considerably more rural and I remember about 10 years ago one of my reffing colleagues called a game off before it even started because the pitch was unfit - apparently wildlife had been left to graze on the pitch, meaning it was covered in unsavoury substances by the time Saturday came around.
These days they've built a pleasant changing room, although the pitch is at least 100 yards away, across a couple of 5-barred gates.
Aaah, the pleasures of reffing in the countryside!
Then on Sunday it's my first game of the season in the Maidstone & Mid Kent Sunday League, where no prisoners are taken.

I'll report back next week!