To Err

L and I went to see a Caley Thistle home game in Inverness this afternoon. They were playing against Partick Thistle and their good natured travelling support repeatedly chanted that they were the only team in Glasgow. Newly promoted "Glasgow" Thistle beat the home team two one in a very entertaining game.

I know many folk in blip land will have little interest in football but there was one hugely controversial moment in the match. If I can indulge you:

There were a few moments of confusion as a Caley corner was taken.

After the corner is taken the original kicker can not touch the ball until a team mate has kicked it. The clever training ground tactic was that the corner taker kicked the ball one inch. It does not have to roll its circumference or even leave the small quadrant marking the corner; popular but incorrect assumptions.

After the ball moving an inch another team mate, number ten, was free to take the ball under control and move smartly goalward with it. He chipped a good cross which resulted in the defending team making a scrabbled clearance after a bit of ping pong motion from from the ball in the box. It came back to number ten who fired in an unstoppable shot. Caley had equalised; No. After a lengthy spell of play following the corner being taken the linesman flagged to the referee that the corner had been taken outwith the rules of the game.

The incident was the subject of much analysis by the radio pundits as we drove home; the general consensus being that the referee and his assistant had made an almighty blunder. If the corner was taken illegally then it should have been flagged straight away, play would have stopped and of course the goal would not have been scored and there would not been the noisy collective frustration from Caley and their support. It would seem the linesman was aware of his blunder but just let it go in the hope that nothing would come of the next passage of play. He is only human.

Before leaving for Inverness I took Caley (our dog) to Machine Gun Hill with his ball.