Norwich City superfan chosen to be fourth official during English soccer match

Nov. 25 (UPI) -- Imagine being a fan one minute and refereeing the game the next minute. That's what happened recently at a Norwich City soccer match.

David 'Spud' Thornhill was thrown into the action of Saturday's Championship game between Norwich City and Preston North End at Carrow Road in the United Kingdom.

Thronhill was cheering on Norwich City from the stands before the 84th minute came along. Linesman Mark Jones was forced out of the game after suffering a leg injury. Fourth official Andy Davies took his place, but that left no fourth official to take Davies' spot.

The match was tied 1-1 at that point. Referee Tim Robinson briefly removed both teams from the field to handle the situation.

"All the players are called over and the referee appears to be considering taking the teams off the pitch as there's now no fourth official," Norwich City FC tweeted.

"Right," the club tweeted. "So we've got a local qualified referee about to get changed to operate as the fourth official for the closing stages it seems! #ncfc."

"Always bring your boots, eh?"

Thornhill was then given an LED board for displaying extra time and substitutions. He removed his shirt and replaced it with the official's black jacket. He kept on his jeans.

Other fans were quick to point out on Twitter that Thornhill also appeared in the match day program in a fan feature.

The game ended in a 1-1 draw.