SPORTSMANSHIP OR AIDING AND ABETING

Incident occurred in my Cambs Div 5 match. Last game of season, sunny day one team 4th from bottom have 11 players and one sub the other team 2nd from bottom have 11 players and a bloke to run the line. No relegation issues as it's the bottom league.

After 16 minutes 2 players go in for the ball, fair challange, ball goes out of play and I hear a player say his boot has broken. Sure enough half of the bottom of the boot had come off and therefore he could not continue as his equipment was dangerous. I asked him to leave the field of play and said he could come back on when he had got a spare pair and I had checked them.

After 10 minutes he returned stating that there were no other boots he could use as no one had a spare pair of Size 10s. Knowing that this would mean his team were down to 10 men for the last hour (not my fault I know) and the fact that I had a spare pair of Sixe 10s in my changing room I, following agreement from the opposition manager, offered him the use of the boots.

Had there been something on the game to the two teams involved or had their result impacted on another team I would have kept my mouth shut and said nothing but in this instance I thought it was the sporting thing to do but interested in the views of others especially as his team won 3 -2.

Tricky as it could have been said that you were favouring one team, however as you checked with the opposition manager, I cannot see any problem with it.

Good call I reckon.

Is it true that the player who you loaned the boots too never left the centre circle for the rest of the match???