Ref Relief

Play was held up during Argyle’s 2-1 win over Colchester United after Jimmy and Kevin collided, leaving the referee to receive extensive treatment on the field. It took 12 minutes before the game was restarted, and it seemed as though Johnson may be seriously hurt. 

As it turned out, after a short stint in hospital, Kevin was diagnosed with minor neck ligament damage, and should be back refereeing very soon. 

The referee’s assessor at the game praised both teams’ physios, and the medical staff at Home Park, for treating the injury in the correct manner. 

Following the game, Jimmy put in a phone call to check up on Kevin's condition, and was pleased to hear no lasting damage had been done. 

“I think the ball was on the left hand side and I was looking towards Ben who had the ball,” said Jimmy, recalling the incident. “I didn’t see [the ref] until the last minute. It was too late, and I hit into the back of him. My shoulder clipped him in the back. 

“I didn’t really want to go over because it’s not nice to see. I made sure he was alright on Saturday night. 

“When you are in a game of football you forget about things sometimes, but safety to all the people on the pitch is the most important thing. I think it was handled pretty well.”