JOE ROYLE caused a stir when he suggested it, but the former Manchester City and Everton boss was right about women referees.

That is the view of the Great Harwood chairman Bill Holden, who launched a tirade against female officials when asked what had changed in the non-League game over the years.

Royle slammed the decision to allow Wendy Toms to run the line in the Worthington Cup final in 2000 and his views were condemned by most in football.

But Showground chief Holden said: "Football has changed. On the field it has become a non-contact sport, players are going down like they have been shot.

"It's not good for the game and I don't think it is getting better.

"Players are being sent off for nothing. A woman linesman - I refuse to call her an assistant referee - got our captain Neil Kennedy sent off and all he did was lift his arm and shake his head.

"He received 35 days suspension for violent conduct.

"I'm not anti-women but they should referee women's football matches.

"I didn't think I'd ever see the day where women officiated at men's football games.

"I'm not being funny but I don't think they understand the passion and everything that's involved.

"Maybe I'm old fashioned. We have had women refs on a couple of occasions that I considered weren't really up to the standard. Then the club gets penalised when you lose one of your better players.

"For a reason like that it was ridiculous. That's only my opinion of course, it's just that there are lots of refs in the feeder leagues who don't get a chance. Why should a woman get a chance over a man?"

The 58-year-old builder, who took the helm at the club six years ago 'because nobody else wanted to do it', went on: "My problem with lady officials is it takes away the male side of the game.

"Why do we need to have women officials when there are lots of male officials available? If the league was struggling for officials then by all means allow women to do it.

"It's true the feeder leagues are struggling for officials but once you get away from there there are plenty of refs."

Not all of non-League football's problems hinge on the emergence of women referees, though, Holden admitted.

Harwood, who play in the North West Counties League first division where manager Denis Underwood and his side are again battling against the drop, suffer from that age-old problem down the football pyramid - money.

"There are clubs spending a lot of money on players of average ability but we don't have that type of money to throw around," said Holden, who took the reins when Brian Morris resigned. "In the six years since I took over we had to pay £14,000 to upgrade the ground.

"We needed floodlights so we could play in the FA Cup and then we had a hard time when we were in the UniBond League about the state of the ground. We spent money to stay up and then got relegated and had to spend more for the North West Counties League.

"Four years ago the UniBond League wanted an all-seater stadium but we couldn't afford it and we were relegated anyway. We had to spend £9,000 getting the ground up to North West Counties standard."

The money comes from sponsorship and out of the pockets of the directors. But it is a kind of hobby, said Holden.

"It's like anything else, some people put their money in to motorsports, some golf. There are that many sports and activities - how much does it cost to go and watch Rovers?"

Harwood are currently bottom of Division One, five points from safety, but Holden is not worried.

"When we were in the UniBond League we were 13 points adrift and Denis pulled it back so it was down to the last day and we went to Congleton and had a penalty that if we'd scored we'd have stayed up. So I am not worried because things can turn around so quickly."