Respect. Now there is a word that has been thrown about in football this season and mainly to draw players' attention to the poor chap in the black shirt. I can fully understand that the referee needs to be warranted some respect on the pitch but respect is a two way street and is earned as well as given. So to the bizarre display of officialdom at Priory Lane last saturday.

Mr Nick Kinseley did an impression that Caesar would have been proud of. "Veni Vidi Vacanti!" For those non-Latin types, it's basically "I came I saw I vacated", although Julius actually stayed for more than 20 minutes when he visited Sussex! With stewards at the Lane at 11.30am and basking in the sunshine, Mr K did his pitch inspection (well he slid along in his day shoes). So small was the amount of ice on the surface, even Todd Carty could have stayed on his feet! I even ventured onto the hallowed turf and my trainers were sinking in the grass. So with three hours to kick-off, game off! Now considering the heated debate that pursued with Len and Mr K, there were concerns that the ref was in danger. After all, Len "DIY" Smith was still carrying a saw in his hand from earlier running repairs. With youth on his side, Mr K turned on his heels and left the ground as quick as he arrived.

Well, whether there will be any ramifications from his actions, one can only wait, but I do hope that this matter is investigated. I know that The Argus has tried to get a comment from said ref but to no avail. Quel Suprise!

Well, despite the disappointment of losing a huge crowd for the derby with Crawley, a few of us hot-footed it over to Rottingdean, where high on a hill top, a frost free pitch (sarcastic hint Mr K!) hosted a Sussex Inter Cup tie with the Borough Reserves visiting. The pitch was already quite cut up and did nothing to help a flowing game. It wasn't pretty, it certainly wasn't for the faint hearted with a few agricultural challenges being made, and in all fairness Rottingdean were giving stern opposition and the yellow lads struggled to get into a rhythm. The 90 minutes ended with 2-2 and extra time. The sun was setting fast and we all wondered if the extra time would get played before darkness fell across the land (No! The midnight hour wasn't quite at hand!) "The Sports" eventually came away with a 3-2 victory. One humorous note from the Rottingdean game was the actions of both the referee (yes, yet another one) and the home keeper. As the Eastbourne No.11 Stan was clear through on goal, the keeper hauled him to the deck to concede a penalty. We waited to see what colour card would be shown and stayed baffled when none appeared. Penalty taken, goal scored. Now the referee walked to the keeper and showed him a red card! Was the ref feeling charitable and allowed the keeper to stay to face the spot kick? Not at all. It seems the man with a 1 on his back had compared the official to a certain part of a lady's anatomy. Silly boy!

The ploughed fields of Cambridgeshire await us this weekend when we visit Histon. I haven't seen the forecast yet but I don't think any hurricanes or blizzards are due. You never know, we may even see first team action! Til next week blog fans.