Referee forced to abandon controversial English football match due to never-before-used rule

On March 16, 2002, Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion stepped out onto the football pitch for a match that will forever be remembered.

The Blades were hosting West Bromwich Albion at Bramall Lane in a record-setting first division clash that nobody will look back on fondly.

Nicknamed The 'Battle of Bramall Lane', the match remains the only professional match in English football history to be abandoned because of a little-known rule.

Heading into the encounter, tensions were high following a controversial incident from a game the previous season that fuelled complete chaos on the pitch.

Throughout the match, three Sheffield United players were sent off with a red card, while two others were forced off injured, taking the team down to six players.

Because of this, referee Eddie Wolsenholme was forced to abandon the match due to a shortage of players, marking the only time this has ever happened in English football.

The official rule states "that a match should not continue if there are fewer than seven players in either team".

Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock was furious during the match. (Image: Craig Prentis/Getty Images

Blades goalkeeper Simon Tracy was the first to be sent off for handling outside the penalty area just nine minutes into the game.

Reduced to 10 men, Sheffield United went behind less then 10 minutes lates after Scott Dobie scored a header, with Derek McInnes doubling the lead in the 62nd minute.

Three minutes later, chaos exploded on the pitch as Blades substitute Georges Santos attacked Baggies midfielder Andy Johnson to get revenge for breaking his eye socket with a flailing elbow during a game the year before.

Santos was shown a straight red card for the incident, prompting an on-pitch brawl that led to another Blades substitute, Suffo, being sent off for headbutting West Brom defender Darren Moore.

Sheffield United captain Keith Curle also came close to being given his marching orders after throwing punches at McInnes.

Speaking about the match Moore, told the Set Pieces: “We knew the history of George and Andy from previous clubs. The referee was well aware of the situation. I just think it was a stupid, silly idea for the management staff to bring him on.

“Obviously when you’re in that situation you want your players to be professional but Georges saw it as a chance to get retribution on Andy and it escalated from there.

“He’s been sat on the bench watching the game – seeing his team losing and the crowd was getting hostile as their team was being dominated, had a player sent off, the management team was really agitated and we were really in control of the day.

Dobie went on the make it 3-0 to the visitors in the 77th minute, with Blades midfielder Michael Brown limping off just moments before.

Therefore, when Sheffield United's Rob Ullathorne was forced off five minutes later, the game was called off.

George Santos got his revenge on Andy Johnson during the match. (Image: Chris Lobina/ALLSPORT)

West Brom manager Gary Megson was furious after the match, labelling it a disgrace and implying that his counterpart Neil Warnock had told his players to go down and come off, something which Warnock of course denied.

Five days after the dramatic match, Football League officials met to discuss the events and eventually decided to awarded the three points to West Brom, due to them being 3-0 up when the match was abandoned.

Meanwhile, Santos was banned for two games on top of the four automatically imposed while Suffo was fined £3,000 for violent conduct and banned for another three games added to the three-match suspension he had served for his red card.

Warnock, was also fined £300 and found guilty of improper conduct towards the fourth official, while Curle was fined £500 and given a two-match ban for improper conduct towards a match official.