The day violence tapped me on the shoulder

It was last season and the disciplinary side has all been dealt with, so i consider it safe to discuss the incident now.
It was the closest I've come to a serious assault since I took up the whistle 10 years ago, and a moment that has stayed with me throughout the summer and into the new season. I've learned some lessons from it.

It had been a local derby and the second time in 2 weeks the two teams had played each other. The losing team was bottom of the league, full of youngsters who were clearly fed up to be losing again, but equally full of bitterness and aggression. 5-2 down, I'd already booked a couple of their players and sent one off by the time the game finished. At the end of the game a few of the losing team were snarling at me and one in particular sounded very unpleasant, so I showed him a yellow card for dissent and warned him to calm down or the card would become a red.
The players drifted off and as the teams, spectators and I drifted back to the changing room, I looked around to see the player I'd just booked belt a ball at me. It whistled past my head. Already a little concerned that the dozen or so mates and girlfriends of the losing team were in close proximity, I suddenly found myself surrounded, with the chief troublemaker snarling abuse at me.
"Go on, get your red card out and that'll be an excuse to smack you in the mouth," he urged me. Twenty or so yards from the large clubhouse, with plenty of other people about, I said nothing, but kept walking as the players shoved his face into mine, apparently desparate to prove he could beat up a bloke 30 years older than him and clearly not used to a rumble in Maidstone town centre on a Saturday night.
As we rounded a corner, I popped into the main entrance of the clubhouse and shook the player off. He noticed it and turned round to come after me but then found himself threatened by several players from a different game who had noticed what was happening.
I gave it a couple of minutes and find my way to the safety of the changing room, telling my sorry tale to the three others refs there. Within minutes the losing team's coach was in the changing room telling me how fed up he was with his players and that he was thinking of packing it in. Then 10 minutes later the guilty party appeared to apologise for his actions, clearly undert instructions and realising his footballing season could be over.
I thanked him for his apology and told him I'd be reporting the incident to the league, which I duly did. The odd thing about refereeing is that you never find out the consequences of actions like this. I just happened to find out a few weeks later that the player had received a lengthy ban. The team itself folded temporarily, but I'm pleased to see that it got back onto its feet, proving itself bigger than a couple of players incapable of self-discipline.
As for me, there's no doubt I was shaken. It's daft to think that a softy like me in his mid-50s can defend himself effectively if a young thug wants to beat him up. And what's more as a ref you can't really defend yourself with any violence. It would be the last time you picked up a whistle if you were shown to have traded punches with a player.
But I looked for my mistakes and learned from it. Was I too confrontational? Should I have taken the abuse without saying a word? I really think I could have done better in keeping myself away from the players and spectators I suddenly found myself involved with. hang around for a ocuple of minutes until the players have gone, let them start the process of cooling down.