Credit where credit's due

A FEW weeks ago Kent’s top referee, Steve Bennett, was involved in a tabloid newspaper ‘sting’ for making comments about Premiership footballers.

The Orpington-based ref claimed some top Premier League players had visited him before games and asked for a yellow card to ensure they would receive a ban and thus miss out on a game over Christmas.

It was hardly revelation of the century was it? You could imagine certain players being uninterested in a midweek trip to Hull or Bolton on a cold, rainy night and doing what they can to miss out on it.

Bennett, who was taped making these claims by an undercover reporter, was expected to explain his comments, but it looks as though he hasn’t let it get to him at all.

He refereed the midweek FA Cup game between Middlesbrough and West Ham and put in a very good performance. True, it wasn’t a particularly dirty game, but he allowed the game to flow and got pretty much all the decisions right.

What I found most interesting was how he chatted with the captains in the tunnel before the game and other players throughout the game. Some people have a problem with the referee being ‘friendly’ with the players, but I can’t see why. He was able to let the game run and when a player did commit a foul he let them know they were walking a thin line. The fact the commentators barely mentioned his name is testament to how he contributed.

Referees get a lot of stick when they make questionable decisions, but you barely hear a mention when they do their job well. Bennett is due to finish his career refereeing at the top level at the end of the season as he has reached the mandatory age set by the Premier League. Hopefully he will be able to take his knowledge and experience of the game into coaching other referees which I’m led to believe he is hoping to do after hanging up his boots.

Glenn Pearson