WOLVERHAMPTON, England (AP) 鈥 A fan of English soccer club Wolverhampton was unable to celebrate his team鈥檚 late winner in an FA Cup replay 鈥 because he鈥檇 been plucked from the crowd to stand in as a match official.
Ross Bennett attended the Wolves-Brentford game on Tuesday with his 11-year-old son and volunteered to fill in as the fourth official in the technical area near the dugouts following an injury to one of the assistant referees in extra time.
Bennett, a qualified referee at youth level, said he was given a 鈥渃rash course鈥 on how to work the substitutes鈥 board and dealt with questions from members of the Brentford staff in a tense end to the match at Molineux.
The hardest part of his new job might have been when Matheus Cunha converted the penalty that ultimately sealed a 3-2 win for Wolves and an eagerly anticipated fourth-round match against local rival West Bromwich Albion.
鈥淚 was just gutted that I couldn鈥檛 celebrate our goal,鈥 Bennett told the BBC. 鈥淚 had to stay neutral.
鈥淚nside I鈥檓 screaming, thinking, 鈥業鈥檓 off to the Hawthorns in less than two weeks.鈥 I thought, 鈥業鈥檓 the only Wolves fan in here not celebrating.鈥欌
Bennett had to be up early for work on Wednesday but still spent time in the referees鈥 room after the match.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a once-in-a-lifetime thing and it鈥檚 never going to come about again,鈥 he said, adding: 鈥淚t still doesn鈥檛 feel real that it happened.鈥
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