A FOOTBALLER was forced to wear a jersey with his number scribbled on it in PEN during a Champions League clash.
The bizarre scenes happened in a qualifier between The New Saints and Shkendija after Rory Holden was left covered in blood.
The moment officials took matters into their own hands[/caption]
Holden returned to the game with a pen written squad number[/caption]
Midfielder Holden’s original kit was soaked in claret during Tuesday night’s first-leg tie at Park Hall.
The incident prompted referee Rob Hennessy to order him off the pitch just before half-time.
But in a moment of pure Sunday League chaos, TNS didn’t have a proper backup kit with his name or number on it.
So a staff member grabbed a ballpoint pen and scrawled “18” on the back of a white-and-green shirt to get him back on the pitch.
Holden, who starred in last season’s historic Europa Conference League run for TNS returned to action wearing the makeshift top.
TV cameras caught the bizarre moment the number was inked on the sidelines.
Thankfully the hand written number on the back of the shirt wasn’t needed for long.
The whistle blew for half-time moments later and he reappeared for the second half in a standard printed jersey.
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Holden was subbed off in the 80th minute with the match ending in a goalless draw.
TNS made history last season as the first Welsh club to reach the group stage of a European competition.
But this time, they made headlines for a very different reason.
The return leg kicks off in Skopje next Tuesday (July 15), with a tie against either FCSB of Romania or Andorra’s Inter Club d’Escaldes awaiting the winners.
