Ardent Royals supporters who attended the Reading v Darlington Carling Cup match may have read the programme's 'Flashback' by Reading FC historian and
Evening Post columnist David Downs. It related the only time that Reading and Darlington had met previously in a cup tie was way back in 1924, headlined in the Flashback feature as the game that changed the laws of football.
For those of you who didn't go to the match or couldn't afford a programme, let me tell you to which law it referred. With ten minutes to go in a 6th qualifying FA Cup Match, the game was scoreless. Reading were awarded a throw-in but the Reading wing half's throw was judged by the referee to be a foul throw. At that time a foul throw was penalised by an indirect free-kick to the opposing team. The Darlington left half took the kick, floating it into the Reading goalmouth where the famed Reading goalkeeper, Joe
Duckworth, was deceived by the wind and a Darlington player scored the winning goal.
David said that it was partly due to this disproportionate punishment that forced a change in the law to the present wording, whereby the opposing team gets a throw instead of a kick. I'm sure David is right but in fact the International FA Board seemed to take a long time thinking about it, as it took them until 1931 to change the law.
The throw-in appeared in the original Laws of Association Football written back in 1863 by the newly formed Football Association. The major
difference was that the throw went to the first person to touch it after it had gone over the line. There was probably as much mayhem off the field as on it, with opposing players chasing after the ball.
Over the years since then, the law has been nibbled around the edges and in 1937 it was adjusted to very much what we know today. Both feet to be on the ground behind or on the touch line, and the ball thrown from behind and over the head using both hands.
One newspaper recently showed photos of a European gymnastic gold medallist, who when playing football uses his skill to throw a long ball. He runs from several yards behind the line and then somersaults with the ball, releasing it to a distance up to 70 yards. Is it legal? I was asked. Perfectly, providing he meets all the requirements above at the moment of throwing.
There was another change in 1987 when taking the throw from the wrong place was added to the list of foul throws. Previously the team taking the throw would take it again but coaches encouraged their players to deliberately take the throws from the wrong place when they were defending a slender lead, late in the game. They knew the referee would stop the game and make them retake it, which would waste valuable time.
Last season there was another change, which some players don't seem to have yet grasped. Opposing players must stand at least two metres from the ball at the throw-in but some are still trying to hinder the thrower by standing too close. Not for the first time, the International FA Board didn't follow through the new ruling and say what the punishment should be if players didn't keep this distance. This has been rectified this season and now players would be punished by a caution for 'failing to respect the required distance'.
There have been proposals that the throw-in be changed to a kick-in, somewhat similar to that which robbed Reading of the 1924 cup tie. I hope the International FA Board never listen, as it is just a quick and simple method of getting the ball back in play, not a penalty to be paid.
Dick Sawdon Smith
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© R Sawdon Smith 2006