KEITH Hackett, the former head of PGMO and Premier League referee himself, always gives the following advice to newer referees – ‘treat the ball as your own, and don’t take your eye off it during the game’.

Incidentally, the laws used to say the ball must be returned to the referee at the end of the game.

In local football it is good advice to hang on to the ball after the match until you get paid your match fee as with the price of footballs, the club won’t want to lose one, so they will come looking for you.

My advice is similar, ‘don’t turn your back on the ball, even if the game is stopped’.

This means referees have to learn to run backwards for goal kicks.

I also tell players at a stoppage ‘leave the ball alone’.

If you watched the Championship games on Channel 5 last Friday, you will understand what I mean.

Firstly, Reading’s French forward, Yann Kermorgant, kicked the ball away after a free-kick was awarded to their opponents.

The yellow card for this petulant action, meant when he received another one for a reckless tackle later in the game, he was sent off, leaving his teammates a man short for a highly-charged, unpredictable end to the game.

If you also watched the Brentford-Sheffield United match, you will understand the other reason for my advice to players.

After Brentford scored to level the match, their midfielder Ryan Woods rushed into the goal to collect the ball.

He was beaten to it by United’s 6ft 6in goalkeeper, Jamal Blackman, who held it up over his head so he couldn’t reach it.

This led to players swapping punches and the referee, who had kept his eyes on the ball, sent them both off for violent conduct.

This will likely mean each will receive a three-match suspension.

That’s why I shout ‘leave the ball alone’ – because I have seen so many such silly squabbles escalate into unnecessary and more serious misbehaviour.