Vale argue the toss

REFEREE Andy Priaulx is at the centre of a coin-toss controversy. It is understood that Vale Rec. were fuming with Priaulx when he apparently punished them for coming out of the dressing room late by not including their captain in the mandatory pre-match coin toss when they played Northerners in the Priaulx League last week.

Vale did not appear on the pitch until four minutes after the scheduled 7.30pm start time. When they came out, goalkeeper and skipper Jody Bisson headed straight for the centre circle for the pre-match coin toss, but Priaulx allegedly told him that, since Vale had been late onto the pitch, he was allowing North to kick off and to decide which end to attack in the first half.

If Priaulx behaved as claimed, the referee was in contravention of law eight of Fifa's rules. That states: 'A coin is tossed and the team which wins the toss decides which goal it will attack in the first half of the match. The other team takes the kick-off to start the match.'

Vale Rec. coach Ray Blondel said that his club was not prepared to make any comment regarding the incident.

Northerners president and council delegate Dave Finn confirmed yesterday that Vale Rec. secretary Mick Solway and Blondel were unhappy with Priaulx. They have discussed their concerns with him.

'I spoke to Mick at length about this and he told me that Rec. were considering putting in a complaint,' said Finn.

'Mick was quite clear in saying to me that he didn't want a replay - the result will stand - but they weren't happy with the referee, which I can understand.

'We would certainly be upset at North if Rec. wanted to have the match replayed and we would fight that if it came about. But Mick has assured me that they aren't going for a replay. I've got his word on that and I trust Mick because we're old friends.'

He confessed that he did not know whether Priaulx had broken the rules by excluding Vale from the pre-match coin toss, but said that 'the whole situation is quite unnecessary in local football'.

'I've spoken to Ray about it and he said that he didn't hear Andy's whistle for the teams to come out and he totally lost his sense of time. It needed only for the assistant referee to knock on the Rec. door. I think it could have all been avoided, but I can only assume that Andy knows the rules and didn't do anything wrong.'

Priaulx said yesterday that he has now sent in his match report, which includes mention of the controversial pre-match incident, and confirmed that Vale came out of their dressing room 'four or five minutes late'. He refused to make any further comments and referred the Guernsey Press to GFA referees' officer Graham Skuse.

Skuse said that he didn't wish to comment on the incident because 'there's really nothing to say at the moment'.

He added that he expected the matter to be raised at the next council meeting, which will take place a week today, and said that he would be 'quite prepared to speak when there's something more to say'.