Ben Clasper's notes from the Chatham game

As the summer draws to a close and we settle into a regular routine we are able to take a step back and look at how we are doing on and off the pitch and look to the future. In addition to the recent wholesale change on the pitch and in the dugout we have also been managing less visible but similar levels of change behind the scenes.

We’ve already seen the good, the bad and the ugly during an inconsistent start in the league but that’s something we had to be prepared to accept with such a high level of player turnover. I am confident though that we have seen the quality and improved discipline we need to be competitive.

As a club whose disciplinary record was a serious problem last season I have been following closely the implementation of the new guidelines from the FA and while it hasn’t been as disruptive as I feared I am a little disappointed the old problems of inconsistency still persist.

One of the most prominent guidelines given to referees was to clamp down on time wasting. Some of those guidelines should have been simple to act upon, kicking or throwing the ball away, stopping opponents from restarting the game and the signs are positive because the FA gave clear direction. It is the less clearly defined examples that have resulted in the frustratingly inconsistent results.

Other than the six second rule for goalkeepers (routinely ignored by all) there are no other documented limits which means it is left to each referee to decide where to draw the line so it is totally understandable why a delay in one game may elicit a booking while an identical offence in another will go unpunished and that’s on the FA for failing to define where the line should be drawn.

Who’d be a referee? Let’s hope the match today is decided by the performance of the players.