CHIPPENHAM Town winger Sam Allison has become the man in the middle after refereeing his first game in the Chippenham and District Sunday League.

The 30 year-old midfielder, who lives in Melksham, is the Bluebirds’ longest serving player and after qualifying as a level seven official, took charge of Trowbridge Town Supporters’ Club’s 2-0 win over AFC Lyneham at Bratton Recreation Ground.

Allison, who is being mentored by former Chippenham secretary George McCaffrey, enjoyed his first outing as a match official and thinks that more players should consider making the switch.

“To be honest, I’ve probably only got two or three years left as a player and I was looking to see what I could do that kept me in football,” he said.

“Refereeing was something that I’ve been interested in and I took a few courses and did a practical exam, where you had to look at different tackles and see what decision you’d give.

“What you realise is just how much you don’t know – the ins and outs of the rules – and I think it’s something that more semi-pro footballers should look at doing.

“If they did that then you wouldn’t be left saying ‘why has he made that decision? so much.

“I thought that I might get a bit of stick from the lads about it but people like Iain Harvey were pretty interested in it all.”

Allison admits that he did have some pre-match nerves ahead of Sunday’s game.

“I’d done a bit of reffing at my five-a-side league but it was actually the first time I’d been involved in Sunday football,’’ added Allison, who also coaches at Lackham College.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect but Scotty Lye (Chippenham midfielder) was someone who used to love playing it and he told me that it would be fine.

“A player got sandwiched in between two defenders and I had to give a penalty but I brought along my friend Luke Rudman, who’s a level five ref, and he told me afterwards that it was the right decision.

“I had a bit of fun doing it and I’ve already applied to get a game for this Sunday.”

After gaining a taster of life as a match referee, Allison is already planning to push on with his qualification and hasn’t ruled out the possibility of officiating at Hardenhuish Park in the future.

“I’m still happy playing at the moment but George told me that I should put in for promotion to the next level already,” he said.

“Level seven is the level you start at as an adult but once you do more games, you can get up to other levels.

“I could realistically get to level four in a few years and then I’d actually be able to be a linesman at Chippenham’s level.

“If you think about it, in three or four years time I could be in the Premier League – I’m never going to play at Old Trafford or The Emirates so why not give it a go?”

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