FOOTBALL is a tough game, particularly if you are a fan or an official on a cold January night in Blackpool.

The not-so-beautiful side of the beautiful game prompts some brutal honesty when the crowd is sparse enough for you to hear every insult and the football is far from cultured.

So is it so surprising that a linesman who has just been hit by a cigarette lighter wants to give others an insight into his life on the touchline?

Rishton-based Neil Yates is facing a Football Association investigation after being accused of abusing Blackpool FC after officiating during the club's 4-0 win over Doncaster Rovers on Tuesday.

But when you look at the comments actually attributed to him, has he committed a serious offence, or just revealed the reality of football in our lower leagues?

And are the comments offensive or just colourful honesty?

Half-finished stadiums are ten a penny in the lower leagues and "donkeylashers" is hardly a deeply wounding remark, more a humourous reference to one of the more unusual aspects of life in Blackpool.

Yes, officials should be neutral and be perceived to be so.

But should the FA be wasting its time investigating these comments when one of its officials has just been hit by a missile thrown from the crowd?