CHRISTCHURCH manager Ollie Cherrett welcomed new Wessex League rules that will see anyone sent from the dugout banished to the changing room.

The new directive stipulates those dismissed from the technical area must not be allowed to participate or watch the rest of the match. Offenders are required to remain in the dressing room or leave the stadium.

It marks a significant change for managers who would simply duck under the barrier having been sent off in previous seasons.

And Priory boss Cherrett reckons it will make some of the more vocal characters think twice before berating officials.

“I think it is a good thing,” he said. “The managers I get on with have always taken responsibility for their actions.

“If a manager oversteps the mark by that much, the punishment should be the same as it would be for a player.

“Before, you would be sent from the dugout and could just carry on as you were from behind the barrier two metres back. It changed nothing but maybe this will make one or two think about things.

“Luckily, I have never been in that situation. As much as officials make mistakes, so do players and managers and I am not a big believer that matches get won or lost by one or two decisions.

“There is a bigger picture in most games and while everyone has an opinion, we don’t have a game without referees.

“Standing there screaming and shouting isn’t going to make them any better, that’s for sure. I think we should support them rather than get on their backs.

“Every referee is slightly different. Some you can talk to, others you can’t but managers and coaches have a responsibility to lead from the front.

"If we stand there ranting away, that filters through to the players which benefits no one and from my experience, I have never got anything from shouting at a referee. They’re all human and if you have a go at someone every two minutes, you can’t be surprised if a 50-50 decision then doesn’t go your way.

“We have to lead by example and if we do that, maybe the players will follow suit and we can all start talking about the football instead of decisions.”

The biggest talking point at Tuesday's Wessex League AGM was over the acceptance of Weymouth reserves into Division One. The league’s constitution was only passed by 26 votes to 20 in a ballot of the existing member clubs present and 12 league committee members.

The argument put forward by clubs such as Hythe & Dibden, Blackfield & Langley and Laverstock & Ford was that the inclusion of second strings would “devalue” the competition but Cherrett didn’t agree.

“For players and managers, it is about playing at nice grounds with good facilities and Weymouth is superb,” he added.

“You could understand concerns over games being called off to protect the pitch for the first team but in my experience, that never happened when they were in the Dorset Premier League.

“Players and managers should embrace going down there. They earned the right to come up and it is nice to see their ambition.

“Having better grounds and surfaces to play on is more important to me than whether they’re called Weymouth A, Weymouth B or Mickey Mouse. It makes no difference to me and I think it has been blown out of proportion.

“Their reserves have been around and strong for a long time, they’re not just going to pull out. I think it is good for the league.”

And Cherrett also countered arguments over the prospect of Weymouth fielding first-team players.

“All teams make changes for games,” he said. “That has been going on for a long time. People would be a little bit blind not to see clubs signing non-contract players from higher levels.

“That’s part and parcel of football. If a player became available to me from Poole Town, I wouldn’t turn that down.

“Besides, the two games against them shouldn’t make a massive difference to how your season pans out.”

There was more good news for Priory with a third promotion place being granted to Division One for 2016-17.

Cherrett made no secret of his hope the move would be passed having targeted a return to the Premier Division.

“I think it is a good thing and not only for us,” said Cherrett. “It keeps things interesting for more teams for longer, for the players and the supporters.”