Newcastle’s Premier League clash against Tottenham DELAYED in the first half as linesman suffers ‘random’ injury and is replaced on the touchline by the fourth official

Newcastle’s home tie against Tottenham was disrupted mid-game on Sunday, after linesman Ian Hussin pulled-up with an injury.

Hussin had to stop running the line at St James’ Park, before signalling to referee Robert Jones that he could no longer continue.

The incident occurred around the half-way mark of the first half, with Hussin pointing to his leg and grimacing in pain.

Referee Jones stopped the competition for several minutes, before fourth official Darren Bond and and Hussin swapped roles.

To the slight bemusement of the Geordie fans, Bond took the opportunity to engage in a quick warm-up on the touchline, before entering the fray – albeit with a flag in hand. 

The linesman pulled-up during the midway point of the first half, enforcing a stoppage

Fourth official Darren Bond came to the rescue, swapping roles with Hussin to run the line

Hussin meanwhile, took his place between both dugouts, with both sets of technical staff checking to see if he was OK. 

Neither team had made a breakthrough at this point, and it seemed the stoppage turned the tide of momentum in Spurs’ favour.

However it was the hosts who went into half-time one-up, with Harvey Barnes producing a neat finish to beat the visitor’s keeper, Guglielmo Vicario.

Fans watching the game took pity on Hussin, pointing out how rare an occasion it is to see an official pick-up an injury, despite the remarkable amount of ground they can cover.

Posting on X, one fan wrote: ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen a linesman pull a muscle and have to switch with the fourth official…

Fans reacted on social media to the moment, with one calling it a ‘random situation’ 

‘Bless him – what a random situation.’

Another quipped, ‘Even the linesman picking up injuries due to Angeball’, referencing Spurs’ manager Ange Postecoglou’s high-intensity brand of football, which has been associated with injuries in the squad.