Non-league official turns up at flawed stadium 140 miles away in National League chaos
A non-league assistant referee had an afternoon to forget on Easter Monday, turning up 140 miles away from the football ground they were supposed to be officiating at
An official was meant to officiate Sutton United vs Southend United at the VBS Community Stadium but ended up 140 miles away.
A non-league official had a day to forget on Easter Monday, showing up 140 miles away from the football ground where they were scheduled to officiate.
The official was meant to be running the line for Sutton United’s National League match against Southend United on the fringes of London. However, they ended up in Sutton Coldfield in Birmingham, turning up at the Central Ground rather than the VBS Community Stadium.
To add insult to injury, Sutton Coldfield Town don’t compete in the National League; they play in the Northern Premier League Midlands Division One. The blunder was reported at 2pm, making it impossible for the official to correct their mistake and causing havoc at the stadium.
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The mix-up led to a reshuffle of the referee team, with David Holden and Tom Hutton stepping in as linesmen, while Steven Hughes served as the fourth official.
Southend United reporter Chris Phillips posted on X: “There’s a change among the officials, not the referee. Being told this isn’t a wind-up but he’s gone to the wrong Sutton!”
Fortunately for both National League sides, the match proceeded as planned with the visitors emerging as 3-0 victors. Slavi Spasov broke the deadlock for Southend in the 53rd minute, before Gus Scott-Morris netted twice within three minutes.
The victory maintains the Shrimpers’ position in the National League play-off race with five matches remaining, holding two games in hand over most of their promotion-chasing competitors.
They sit five points ahead of eighth-placed Halifax Town, who have contested two additional fixtures compared to Southend.
For Sutton United, the loss leaves them eight points clear of the drop zone, but with only three matches left to complete, their campaign appears virtually finished.
It remains uncertain whether the referee remained at Sutton Coldfield, but had they stayed, they would have witnessed a 3-0 victory for the home side against Boldmere SM.
Looking back on Sutton United’s loss, boss Chris Agutter commented: “I think Southend were the better side,” he said. “In every department really. So credit to them. I’ll always be honest and protect the players because they’ve done a good job for us, but today they were just better.
“It’s a real insight into the level required. After games like Rochdale, you feel you’re not far away, but today it felt like there was a gap.
“They had a lot of chances and we couldn’t really get out. We went in at half-time at 0-0, but it didn’t feel like a 0-0 game.”
