Keen officials help Luton stage ‘throwback’ to years gone by

Town’s tussle in the snow against Tamworth proved to be a football throwback with referee Adam Bromley at its heart, writes Mark Wood.
Referee Adam Bromley helped get Luton's game against Tamworth on at the weekendReferee Adam Bromley helped get Luton's game against Tamworth on at the weekend
Referee Adam Bromley helped get Luton's game against Tamworth on at the weekend

The Plymouth official was on hand from the early hours of Saturday to make sure the game went ahead and even helped to clear the pitch of snow as a small army of Luton staff and supporters worked hard to get the game on.

Speaking after the game, Bromley said: “I was here by 8.30am this morning to be greeted by a good couple of inches of snow right across.

“The press guy then put out a call. We’d looked at the pitch underneath and felt that it was playable at that time and put a call out for as much help as possible to clear the field of play.

“We had a good look through the weather reports. At that point it did say it would be a ‘light’ snow. It actually stopped then and we got a lot of help here clearing the pitch and they did a really good job. We just felt by the time we had to make a decision that it was more than playable.

“At that point we had to assess. For me it’s about the players and their safety at the time and then we have to look at the surrounding area.

“That’s a decision that’s made by the safety guys and we all had a good discussion. They cleared the roads, the seating area. My concern was the green bit, or as we call it the field of play, and it was OK.

“It came in bad but we got through it and you have to commend the players for that. They’ve gone out there and they’ve used more than common sense.”

Despite the wintry conditions Bromley felt that the conditions never impeded the action, as he continued: “They both wanted to play football. They were able to get the ball down and they were able to play so there’s no question they did themselves proud.

“I’m happy and they’re happy I think.”

Bromley was also largely able to keep his cards in his pockets and had nothing but praise for the players involved.

“They’re experienced players, they’re professional players at this level,” he said. “They understood the conditions and they did well. That’s all I can say.”

The historical sight of an orange ball coming out though was never an option though, as Bromley added: “That (the yellow balls) was what was here . Those where the balls that were here and we felt we could use those today. We discussed that with both sets of teams as well, both management. They were happy to use those balls and it brought us to a safe conclusion.

“Everyone was happy, we brought it to a safe conclusion and it’s to the credit of the players. I’ve got a job to do, I’ve done my job today, the players have done their job and I can only commend them for that and the guys on the bench have done the same.”

Town’s managing director Gary Sweet also praised Bromley’s part along with the club’s fans in making sure game went ahead as he told the club’s official website: “It was a fantastic show of effort, determination and teamwork from everybody involved especially as we made our plea at short notice.

“We were delighted the we got the game on because, not only did it help avoid congestion at the back end of the campaign but it made for a great game of old-fashioned, ‘blood and guts’ football played in a fantastic spirit from both team which spectators appreciated.

“I’d particularly like to thank the match referee for his positive approach to the situation as well as congratulating him on ensuring the match itself was played in a safe and entertaining fashion.

“In such conditions you would normally expect the officials to make many more errors than they did but I’d say he was one of the best referees we’ve had this season which is a credit to him in his first season at this level.”

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