Portsmouth Fan officiates In Match Between Club And Rival Cheltenham

A football fan came to the rescue in the league One match between Portsmout and Cheltenham Town, Saturday, as he picked up the assistant referee's role following the inability of the third and fourth assistant referees to complete the job due to injuries. 

The fourth assistant referee, Steven Brown, replaced his third injured counterpart in the first half. However, he himself got injured soon after prompting the need for a second replacement.

Match officials were left with the option of discontinuing the match or make an appeal for qualified officials at Fratton Park stand to come forward.

They made the call and a Ports mouth supporter, Julian Browning, a fan from the South Stand, stepped up to pick the line job 35 minutes to the end of the goalless encounter. 

Prior to the call, the referee, Referee Ben Toner, made his way down the tunnel with the ball, Cheltenham players on his tail soon after. The exit move was immediately followed with an announcement over the public address system for qualified officials in the ground to make themselves known.

Browning who heed the call, said later that he was as confused as anyone else when the announcement came. But aware that virtually everyone around him knew he was a local referee, the choice before him was limited, more or less, even though he wasn't entirely sure himself. He answered the call anyway. 

"We had been wondering what was going on. Everyone that sits around me knows I am a local referee, not a brilliant standard," he said.

"I was a bit unsure at first. They made a second call and I thought 'oh, what the hell?' I've not been on the turf at Fratton Park since I was an 11-year-old playing in a schools cup final in 1978," he added. 

Role accepted, Browning changed his clothes, or part of it, warmed up before play resumed. 

"I am a massive Pompey fan. I have been for 50 years. I've been a season ticket holder forever," he quipped.

"The adrenaline kicked in. I was worried about two things. One, if a contentious decision happened, but also if Pompey had scored, how was I going to react?"

He needed not to have worried because neither of the two scenarios played up as the game ended on a barren note. 

In his reaction after the match, Browning made light of the situation. 

"I was wearing shorts and trainers. I got some kit from the second assistant ref, shorts and socks that another official had spare and a pair of gold boots appeared in the changing room.

"If you're going to make your presence felt you might as well wear gold boots, hey?" he told BBC Radio 5 Live's 606. 

Cheltenham manager, Wade Elliot, was no less comical in his reaction, after giving the go-ahead to the new assistant referee, a known Portsmouth supporter, to officiate. 

"I think they should all have a curry and four pints before coming on. It seemed to do the trick.

"He was probably the best official we've had this year.

"I did worry when he walked (on) and gave the messiah salute to the North Stand, but it's one of those things.

"The players dealt with it really well. It would have been easy to have lost focus.

"I went in and spoke to them, gave them the thanks, asked them what they wanted to do and they were 'bring it on'."

Portsmouth boss, John Mousinho described it as "a surreal afternoon," one that is sure to live in the memory more for its off the field events