Nationwide Division Three
Saturday 14th February 2004
Valentines Day is an occasion which is traditionally meant to be about love, enjoyment, happiness and romance but when Trevor Kettle is present those feelings can go out the window.
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| Kettle keeps his beady little eye on Leopold. (Photo: Dan Westwell). |
This was the Rutland-based referee's first year on the Football League list following promotion and with Rovers having only recently escaped non-league football themselves, it'd be the first time he took charge of a fixture involving the club.
It's an understatement to say that his 'unique' style of officiating caused confusion, bemusement and bewilderment amongst most of the 5,500 fans who'd braved the damp and miserable wintry weather to witness the game.
It's an understatement to say that his 'unique' style of officiating caused confusion, bemusement and bewilderment amongst most of the 5,500 fans who'd braved the damp and miserable wintry weather to witness the game.
Certainly, there was no love in the air as fans and players alike reached boiling point at different stages, and the only cards Mr Kettle seemed prepared to dish out were of a red and yellow variety. Had the result been different there's every probability that newspaper column inches and fans forum comments would have been more damning towards him than what they were.
Rovers went into the clash in second spot in Nationwide Division Three - three points behind Hull, though firmly in automatic promotion contention. On the other hand, Macclesfield were caught up in a scrap for survival at the opposite end of the table along with a number of others.
After a sluggish opening 30 minutes during which Rovers saw separate penalty appeals turned down, one was finally awarded when visiting defender Karl Munroe twice attempted to wrestle a young Chris Brown to the floor inside the area. It was a stonewall spot-kick which Michael McIndoe duly dispatched but his celebrations were quickly cut short as Mr Kettle ordered a re-take for 'encroachment' - though quite how he'd made that call, who knows? The match video subsequently proved there was no other DRFC player inside the area when the ball was struck.
As is often the case, the re-take was saved and it wasn't long before a sense of bitterness, anger and injustice swept around the terraces of Belle Vue.
Rovers went into the clash in second spot in Nationwide Division Three - three points behind Hull, though firmly in automatic promotion contention. On the other hand, Macclesfield were caught up in a scrap for survival at the opposite end of the table along with a number of others.
After a sluggish opening 30 minutes during which Rovers saw separate penalty appeals turned down, one was finally awarded when visiting defender Karl Munroe twice attempted to wrestle a young Chris Brown to the floor inside the area. It was a stonewall spot-kick which Michael McIndoe duly dispatched but his celebrations were quickly cut short as Mr Kettle ordered a re-take for 'encroachment' - though quite how he'd made that call, who knows? The match video subsequently proved there was no other DRFC player inside the area when the ball was struck.
As is often the case, the re-take was saved and it wasn't long before a sense of bitterness, anger and injustice swept around the terraces of Belle Vue.
Rovers were then penalised for relatively soft challenges in comparison to some of the offences that Macclesfield's players hadn't been penalised for, which only served to heighten tensions, though it wasn't long until the deadlock was broken with an unmarked Greg Blundell producing an acrobatic six-yard finish on the stroke of half-time following a left-wing cross.
The Silkmen were forced to be more positive and open in their play in the second period, though it didn't prevent yet more bizarre decisions from Mr Kettle - the pick of the bunch being when he over-ruled his linesman to give a throw-in (the wrong way) and subsequently got upset when Rovers players were incensed by it.
There were to be no further goals as Dave Penney's team held on for three points which helped close the gap on leaders Hull who'd soon be overtaken en route to the title.
Kettle's 'legacy' was reinforced by a number of similarly chaotic displays in the weeks, months and years afterwards which earned him notoriety within football circles, yet (remarkably) he remains on the EFL list to this day.
The Silkmen were forced to be more positive and open in their play in the second period, though it didn't prevent yet more bizarre decisions from Mr Kettle - the pick of the bunch being when he over-ruled his linesman to give a throw-in (the wrong way) and subsequently got upset when Rovers players were incensed by it.
There were to be no further goals as Dave Penney's team held on for three points which helped close the gap on leaders Hull who'd soon be overtaken en route to the title.
Kettle's 'legacy' was reinforced by a number of similarly chaotic displays in the weeks, months and years afterwards which earned him notoriety within football circles, yet (remarkably) he remains on the EFL list to this day.
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| Greg Blundell celebrates! (Photo: Dan Westwell) |
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| Rovers on the attack! (Photo: Dan Westwell) |
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| Paul Green goes up for a header (Photo: Dan Westwell) |
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| Leo Fortune-West in the thick of things (Photo: Dan Westwell) |
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