BASHLEY were left thanking the unlikeliest of heroes after their 1-0 win over Arlesey Town – defender Brad Strickland’s Dad.

Graham Strickland, father of the former Cherries trainee, stepped out of the crowd to run the line after referee Andrew Newell had pulled a hamstring in the first half.

The 51-year-old former Tyro League official was the only person to come forward – some 10 years after taking charge of his last match.

And in a strange quirk of fate, he found himself running up and down the line alongside his son, who was playing right-back for Bashley.

Strickland Snr told the Daily Echo: “It was a bit surreal but it wasn’t too bad in the end, not as bad as I thought it would be anyway!

“One or two of their players dished out a bit of stick but you just have to ignore it.”

Bash took full advantage of the 10-minute delay to score the only goal of the game six minutes into first-half injury time, Gary Middleton settling a scrappy affair by scrambling home Charlie Knight’s corner.

The victory secured a six-point cushion over the Southern Premier drop zone and back-to-back home wins for Bash for the first time this season.

Boss Frank Gray said: “We were very thankful to Graham because the referee clearly could not carry on, even on the line. These things happen but you never want games abandoned with so many left to play.

“It was a very important result for us and I thought the back three were absolutely tremendous.”

Bash: Moore, Strickland, Oliver, Finlay, Middleton, Richardson, Casey, Colson, Stokoe, Gamble, Knight (Jenkinson, 90). Unused subs: Hill, Foster, Gazzard, Kearn (g/k).