Boots are made for walking!

The Battle of the Boot broke out at Kingscourt last Saturday as a group of young footballers were left without a game. "Unbelievable" and "sad" are some of the terms that have been used to describe a stand-off that has developed over the type of footwear to be used on the synthetic pitches at Kingscourt. The dispute erupted last Saturday when a referee from the Cavan/Monaghan Branch of the Irish Soccer Referees Society showed up with the incorrect footwear to take charge of a number of under-age games on the pitches which were installed by the club at a cost of €420,000. Among the victims in the dispute were a group of young footballers from Kentstown and Kingscourt who had turned up for a u-16 North Eastern Schoolboys' League (NECSL) game. "We abided by the rules to wear the proper footwear and I presume the referee involved knew about the rule as well. The end result was that 30 disappointed kids were left without a game," said Kentstown manager Michael Sheridan Players and match officials should wear moulded boots instead of astro turf runners and trainers in order to protect the surface. The club have notified the various referees branches through the FAI and the various leagues about the footwear required and they also point out that they have signs at the ground indicating what players and officials must wear. Generally, the club says the footwear is not a problem. They even have a supply of spare moulded boots for the unprepared. It is understood that the referee originally appointed to take charge of three under-age games on Saturday claimed he could not wear moulded boots because it caused him blisters. The referee was told by a Kingscourt Harps official that he could not take charge of games without the required footwear. This stand-off forced the postponement of the first of the three games due to be played that morning, a u-12 tie between Carrick and Kingscourt. Kingscourt Harps contacted the NECSL who arranged to have another referee, Barney O'Rourke to take control of the second game (a u-13 tie between Kingscourt and Parkvilla). O'Rourke, who is a member of the Meath Branch of the ISRS, was scheduled to referee a MDL Premier C Reserve clash later in the afternoon between Kingscourt Harps and Enfield Celtic. O'Rourke refereed the Kingscourt v Parkvilla tie and was about to start the u-16 game between Kentstown and Kingscourt when he received a message from a prominent Meath Branch official saying that he was not to do so. "Barney did his best to get the game on but he was told to boycott the game," added the Kentstown Rovers manager. The Kentstown and Kingscourt players were already on the pitch warming up only to be told that there was going to be no game played because there was no referee available. "This was simply unbelievable that a referee would refuse to referee a game with two teams on the pitch and the weather and pitch conditions excellent," said Kingscourt Harps official Dominic Sheenan. "Barney wanted to do the game, but was told not to or he would be in trouble. At this point the parents of the Kentstown Rovers players were furious, the team was on the pitch, a referee in place and no game." The Kingscourt official added that unless they impose the strict rule on footwear they fear the pitch will eventually be worn down and fail to meet the standards set by the FAI as happened in Dublin recently. At that stage, he said, the club would be unable to derive any income from the pitches for which they are still repaying a loan. Meath & District League secretary Gerry Gorman said that the incident was "a sad reflection" on where priorities lie for some people in the game. He said all the issues involved should have been put aside until the game was played. "Others in authority seem to have a different viewpoint, and the action of instructing the referee not to take charge was, apart from the obvious bewilderment it caused to all present, unfair on Barney O'Rourke who was willing to help out and I am sure more embarrassing given the fact that the same official was instructed to take charge of an adult match at the same venue some two hours later," he added. The chairman of the Meath Branch of the ISRS Johnny Regan said that his branch will wait until they get the full facts before deciding on their next step. "We got caught in the crossfire between the club and another Branch of the ISRS. There's an on-going problem there and we ended up getting sucked into it," he said. It is believed discussions were due to take place this week to try an resolve the issue. At the time of writing NECSL schoolboy fixtures had been scheduled for the Kingscourt venue this weekend. From the details provided with the fixture list, it appears that a referee from the Cavan / Monaghan Branch (CMB) has been appointed again.