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Football can get weird at times, especially in the lower leagues. A Madagascan league match had a remarkable 149-0 scoreline. In one other story, a player was sent off just two seconds after a match started in a Sunday League game. Such stories always tickle the fancy of football aficionados.
But do you know of the time when a referee scored a stunning volley and the goal counted?
When a Referee turned a Football Match on his head
The year was 2000, and the match was between amateur sides, Earls Colne Reserves and Wimpole 2000. It was the first round of the Great Bromley Cup, an Essex based cup tournament in the lower leagues of English football.
The referee in charge of the match was Brian Saville. At one stage of the match, Earls Colne Reserves were up 18-1 in the match. Wimpole 2000 had just been awarded a corner. Brian Saville had had enough and felt sorry for the team that was trailing. He had thought to himself that if the ball comes towards him, he was going to score a goal.
As the corner was delivered, the ball grazed the top of a player’s head and landed right in front of the referee. He let it bounce in front of him and thumped in a volley of his left foot. He placed it nonchalantly between the goalkeeper and the post. Wimpole scored their second goal of the match.
The referee celebrated as well as awarded the goal to the team, and the score now read 18-2. The match finished at 20-2, in favor of Earls Colne. Brian Saville was the joint highest goal-scorer in the match for Wampole.
It was a lower-league amateur game, and the goal didn’t matter much in the context of the match. It was a fun little way to entice more fun into what was a horribly one-sided match.
The latest rules, as of 2019, suggest that if a ball hits the referee and goes into goal or possession changes, a dropped ball is awarded. Before the rule change, it was up to the referee's prerogative to award the goal or not. The rule change has come into effect to ensure that the referees stay impartial throughout the game - regardless of the match situation.
The goal by Brain Saville wouldn’t stand in by today’s football rules. But this story shall live on – Brain Saville, the referee with a mean left foot Volley. There have been other instances of referees being involved in scoring a goal in football. But perhaps none were apparent and as joyful as this one. Here's looking at a much more recent example of one such instance:
