SCOTTISH referees are involved in experiments that could lead to five match officials overseeing the same game.

Fifa are considering increasing the number of officials on the pitch from three to five. Currently, a referee is aided with two assistants who run the line, however, there could be two additional assistants based behind either goal to help with decisions in and around the penalty area.

Uefa have been asked to test the system and Dougie McDonald, Iain Brines, Calum Murray, Graham Chambers and Derek Rose all officiated in the 1-1 draw between Cyprus and the Czech Republic in the qualifying tournament for the under-19 EuroChampionships in Larnaca on Saturday.

McDonald took charge of the match with Chambers and Rose running the lines as normal.

Murray and Brines, however, stood at opposite ends of the pitch surveying the happenings in the penalty box.

Both assistants were allowed on to the field of play but always had to be behind the goalkeeper and all five were linked up with microphones.

The experiment will continue all week as the tournament progresses and the results will be sent to FIFA who will present a report to the International Football Association Board at their meeting in February.

The most likely step then will be for the board to call for further trials. The working group on the experiment includes Hugh Dallas, the SFA's referee development officer, who is in Cyprus to monitor the trials.

McDonald said: "I did not find it much different from usual. Having additional people helping is only going to be of benefit to the referee."

Calum Murray, one of the extra assistants, said: "It was a good experience. It took me five or 10 minutes to get into my role, but after that it worked well."