FOLLOWING the controversial finish to Saturday's game, when Graham Potter's last-gasp strike was ruled out because the referee had blown for full-time, I had one or two letters from supporters.

They asked if I could clarify the ruling and wanted to know whether we had lodged a complaint and what redress the club had.

The easy answer to the last point is that we don't have any redress and the rules are that the referee is the sole judge of events on the field.

One supporter who wrote to me couldn't attend the game and was listening to it on the radio.

When he heard that the final whistle had blown as the ball was going into the net he explained he was lucky that he didn't cause a crash!

He wondered what would have happened in the England game if the referee had blown up as Beckham was taking the free-kick.

That is an interesting point and the point is the referee needs to use common sense at all times.

To blow for the final whistle just as a player is shooting is unwise.

In many ways it is asking for trouble.

The supporter suggested had what happened at York happened at Old Trafford in the last minute when there are 60,000 people there then there could have been a riot.

There may have been only 2,000 supporters here on Saturday, but I think it is a credit to everybody connected with York City that people kept their cool.

My main gripe, however, is not about whether the referee has used his common sense or not.

And there is no dispute he did blow his whistle before the ball hit the back of the net.

My main gripe is the amount of stoppage time that was allowed.

Looking back to the game, there was one minute of stoppage time in the first half and four in the second.

We were addressed by a referee's assessor before the season started regarding changes and different interpretations to rules.

Regarding stoppage time, it was made very clear there would be a lot more added time this season than previously.

It is not a hard and fast rule, but the instructions given to us implied that on average a referee would add 30 seconds for every goal, another 30 seconds for any booking, an extra 30 seconds for each substitution - and that is without any injury time or time wasting.

On Saturday, there were five goals scored, five substitutions made and two bookings.

That's six minutes already even without taking other stoppages into account - Lee Nogan's booking took one minute 40 seconds and Graham Potter's injury a further one minute 30 seconds, we know because we have timed it on the video - and yet we got only five minutes added time in total.

My report on the referee was based on those facts, I simply did not think the referee added enough stoppage time.

Had he done so the match would have finished 3-3 and we would have claimed a point.

In many ways we have seen it all before; the powers that be come out with different interpretations of the rules at the start of each season and to begin with they are taken to the letter of the law but gradually the directives lose their impact.

But what incidents like this do prove is just how much a referee's job has changed and I think now is the time for an independent time-keeper for matches.

That would take that responsibility away from the referee and allow him to do what he is supposed to be doing.

It could be quite easily done.

It is already done in rugby and the same system could easily be transferred with a hooter sounded at the end of play.

I have made a point over the last 18 months not to be critical of referees and I have never used crucial decisions in a game as an excuse for losing.

I never will do. I have always said I will refrain from being critical of officials when I have the perfect team and I cannot be critical of the team.

We didn't defend well on Saturday and got punished.

But when incidents like the one on Saturday occur, we have to look at things logically and think of ways to help the officials.

And taking away the worry of how much stoppage time to add can only help them and football in general.