Most people have received career advice in their youth which, when reassessed in later years, is seen as ludicrous or at best fanciful.
Blyth Manager Harry Dunn, after watching his side go down 3-0 at Tamworth on Saturday, suggested that the match referee Mark Hutchinson should take a long hard look at his refereeing aspirations and reflect calmly over whether he is really cut out for a life in the middle.

“I went to the ref’s dressing room after the game and without swearing and while keeping my calm made it clear that his performance was not one which, in my opinion suggested that he was destined for the top of the refereeing tree” said an angry Dunn. However the Blyth boss did also suggest that his side lacks a bit of class and Tamworth were the better side on the day.

The visitors welcomed back fullback Kenny Boyle after suspension and Gareth Williams but were without lively forward Andy Johnson who sustained a calf injury in the defeat at home to Barrow on Tuesday. Phil Bell recovered from a similar injury and led the Blyth line. The home side featured former Aston Villa defender Des Lyttle at right back.

Blyth were up against it from the start when after only three minutes central defender Peter Snowdon concede a free kick 25 yards out which saw Tamworth’s Bampton fire accurately, if not with pace, across Adam Bartlett in the Blyth goal and into the corner of the net. Tamworth looked to increase their lead shortly afterwards when Blyth’s Forster was beaten on the left, Jamie Reed shot and this time Bartlett was able to save low down. The Lambs were having all the play and the visitors must have hoped for some respite when Tamworth lost winger Sheldon on the half hour with Chris Nurse replacing him. However the home side continued to press forward at every opportunity and Bartlett was busy again punching clear from a Lyttle corner.

Blyth were making little headway but a chance did fall to Robbie Dale but his flighted effort was just too high. The closest they came to scoring was on 37 minutes when the industrious Chris McCabe surged forward from midfield only to volley straight into keeper Cisak’s hands from close range following good build up play by Dale. Blyth’s best move was in the dying minutes of the half when Martin Houlahan sprayed a 30-yard cross field ball to Dale whose pass to McCabe got stuck under the midfielder’s feet and the opportunity was lost.

Blyth’s chances of getting back in the game were dealt a blow at the beginning on the second half when McCabe didn’t reappear and was replaced by Michael Hedley who Dunn deployed up front with Phil Bell. The next fifteen minutes saw Tamworth just beginning to lose their stranglehold on the game so it was cruel that on 60 minutes referee Hutchinson granted Tamworth a penalty which Colin Marrison converted. Dunn’s view? - “Their lad pushed the ball into the box and just went over!” he protested after the game. “That decision killed us off”.

Thirteen minutes later Dunn was protesting once more as Forster tackled in the Blyth box and won the ball only for another penalty to be awarded which Marrison stroked past Bartlett for his second of the game.
Dunn’s view? - “A joke!”

Within a minute the home fans were calling for yet another penalty as Snowdon challenged Marrison. This time referee Hutchinson declined to agree and waved play on. Dunn’s view? – “A blatant penalty, that one!”

The Spartans Manager was ultimately left in reflective mood suggesting that his side was “full of endeavour but lacking in class.” Did Blyth miss the sprightly Johnson up front to provide some penetration? “Yes,” said Dunn “ but we’re missing defender Andrew Leeson more than anyone at the moment and we need to be able to field our strongest side to stay in this League.”

Achieving that is going to get harder in the immediate future as Chris McCabe’s injury was subsequently diagnosed as a possibly fracture in his foot. He was having the foot x-rayed on Sunday morning. To compound matters his fellow central midfielder, and New Zealand international, Adrian Webster is about to go for a month’s trial in Finland.