During Sunday's FA Cup semi-final between Arsenal and Sheffield United referee, Graham Poll, created quite a bit of controversy.

He accidentally prevented a Sheff. United player from intercepting the ball and as a result, Arsenal went on to score the only goal of the game. As usual there are always two views of the same incident with the team that benefits from the incident being quite happy for the game to continue while the team that suffers feel very badly done to and quite naturally blames the referee.

If the ball strikes the referee or, as in this case, if the referee obstructs a player from receiving the ball, no offence is committed in accordance with the laws of the game, as the referee forms part of the field of play.

I recall a similar incident a few years ago during a local Cup tie. From a corner kick, a forward headed the ball a few yards wide of the goalpost and it was going out for a goal kick. Unfortunately it hit the referee in the chest, as he was standing on the field of play. The loose ball fell at the feet of another attacker who promptly kicked it into the goal. The referee had no option but to award a goal, as the ball was still in play.

In this particular game though, the goal did not make much difference to the final score and although the defenders were not happy, it did not affect the result at all.

If the ball hits the assistant referee who is standing on the field of play the same applies; no offence has been committed and the referee will allow the game to continue. However, if club linesmen are running the line and the ball strikes him, the referee must stop play and give a drop ball as there has been outside interference.

As these incidents demonstrate, from time to time a referee will accidentally become involved in play, and he will be criticised for being too close to play. However, he will also be criticised if he is too far from play, as usual the referee cannot win.

Please log onto the Darlington Referees' Society website if you wish to contact me with your match incidents, www.darlingtonreferees.freeserve.co.uk.