The referee's a w... a woman!

Ladies have known their way around a referee's room for while now. It was nearly twenty years ago that Wendy Toms graced the sideline for the first time. Six years later and she was assistant refereeing in the Premier League.

Still, football being football, Toms didn't have an easy time. Our very own 'wee man' Gordon Strachan regurgitated this little soundbite after a City match in September, 1999:

"We are getting PC decisions about promoting ladies. It does not matter if they are ladies, men or Alsatian dogs. If they are not good enough to run the line they should not get the job."

He didn't seem to be a fan of Toms, although quite why he had to levy the same slur at Alsation dogs I'll never know. That was pretty mild prejudice compared to what Mike Newell had to say about Amy Fearn (then Raynor) back in 2006. Have a listen to this misogynystic rant:

"She shouldn't be here. I know that sounds sexist but I am sexist. This is not park football, so what are women doing here?"

A week later Newell made an unsurprising but rather meak apology. Thankfully it seems like Luddite attitudes like his are fast going out of fashion.

So there I was at the Ricoh last night, watching, from my biased non-learned perspective, a woeful refereeing performance from Mr. Bates. I turned to my friend Pete, pointed to the assistant referee in front of us and said, "We'd be better off with her in charge."

Cue some miraculous divine (perhaps) intervention, and suddenly I'm watching as Mr. Bates lies stricken on the pitch, unable to continue. Could this mean...?

Emmeline Pankhurst, Germaine Greer, Scary Spice, make some room because another is about to join your ranks. Amy Fearn took the whistle and became the first ever female referee for an English league match to the rapturous applause from all around the stadium.

So how did she do I hear you ask? Well, she was only on for 20 minutes, and she took an age to find Carl Baker to book him, but to my mind she didn't put a foot wrong. In fact I knew she was the real deal when she managed to get Clinton Morrison to shut his trap - the true test of any official.

I want more lady referees. Not just in the name of equal rights, but to answer a burning question of mine in these times of diving, swearing, and cheating - would players be better behaved for a lady?