YOU can control your own thoughts, but not others’ actions.

And so last Saturday’s Inside Track was, you could argue, a bad time to write about discrimination in island sport and bemoan the way football is viewed by those who run Foote’s Lane as opposed to rugby.

I put my size seven foot right in it.

No matter how big or small the Springfield punch-up was, it again highlighted that young football fans can’t hold their booze and too much drink equals trouble.

And although I maintain that it is wrong to seemingly put in place one set of rules for one sport and a separate set for another, the excitable football kids let me and the image of the game down.

But just how much is it the problem of the football authorities and how much a society one?

You can blame football for behaviour on the pitch, but it cannot be the fault of the GFA if youngsters, clearly under age, are being sold booze at shops in town before they get on the boat to Jersey and, as I am led to believe, on the fast ferry also.

Close study of the photographs of the warring groups at Springfield, highlight that most were kids who had a couple of tinnies too much.

If we are to encourage and allow mass groups to travel between the islands for big games then might I suggest they are monitored and policed more closely than at present.

Everyone has a responsibility in this matter, not simply football.

One man who wasn’t at Springfield last week was Ian Drillot, appointed to be a referee’s assistant but who felt impelled to turn down the chance after the heavy and unwarranted criticism from Jersey of his performance at the recent John Leatt Under-16 ‘Upton’ game between North and First Tower.

Drillot, who booked six Northerners and sent off a Tower youngster, was slated by the Tower coach Simon Petulla who, obviously blinkered by his overwhelming desire to see his side preserve their unbeaten record this year, could not stomach a loss which may have been unfortunate – yes, they are a good side and may have beaten North on more occasions than not – but was also, with the early sending off, a defeat brought upon themselves.

To simply blame the referee will not do… in this case.

I have never been slow to criticise referees when I feel they have been truly shocking and surely refs should be able to take criticism of their performance, as long as it is not offensive.

Drillot, however, was treated very harshly by Tower as his was one of the best three refereeing performances I have witnessed these past nine months.

It was a very tough game to handle between two groups of pumped up 16-year-olds and he was excellent.

Now the football season is finally over it is easy to look back and congratulate ourselves on a fantastic double achievement of the NLS Cup and Muratti double.

We also had a much-improved Division One domestic programme, but those successes cannot hide the fact that at youth development level we have yet to get it right and there is much work to do.

Poor over-worked Mark Le Tissier knows full well what exactly the game’s ills are and, given support of all the clubs, will do his best to put them right.

But not very subtle dismantling of the GFA’s four-year plan is not the best way forward. Tweak by all means, but this kangaroo council went too far and I am not surprised the GFA chairman is unhappy.‘Tweak by all means, but this kangaroo council went too far’