20 August 2023 , 09:26
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Portsmouth fan Julian Browning says he was "crapping himself" after injuries to not one but two assistant referees led to him filling in as linesman in their League One match against Cheltenham Town.
The game was in danger of being called off altogether in the second half after the two officials suffered injuries, before a message went out over the PA system asking if there was a qualified referee in the ground who could deputise.
Browning, a local league referee, answered the call from corporate hospitality and ran the line in borrowed kit which included a pair of gold boots. Speaking to Chris Sutton and Robbie Savage on BBC Radio 5 Live's 606, Browning said: "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?" The game ultimately ended 0-0, with a whopping 21 minutes of additional time due to the stoppages.
"We had been wondering what was going on," Browning added. "Everyone that sits around me knows I am a local referee, not a brilliant standard. I was a bit unsure at first. They made a second call and I thought 'oh, what the hell?'
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"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. I am a massive Pompey fan, I have been for 50 years, I've been a season ticket holder forever.
"The adrenaline kicked in and I was crapping myself. I was worried about two things, one, if a contentious decision happened, but also if Pompey had scored how was I going to react? I spoke to the referee I said 'what do I do if we score?'"
Cheltenham boss Wade Elliot said after the game that Browning was "probably the best official we've had this year" as the Robins picked up their first point of the season. "I think they should all have a curry and four pints before coming on, it seemed to do the trick," he joked.
"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's John Mousinho, meanwhile, praised Cheltenham for allowing the game to continue despite Browning being a Pompey fan.
"I thought there was a chance the game could be called off because nobody knew what the affiliation of the fan who took over was," he said. "I was happy because he came down from our South Stand, so fair play to Cheltenham because they could have refused to play on."