‘Man down!’ - Watch unfortunate moment Sheffield United v Birmingham City ref hit in privates

It was the moment that lit up a pretty average first half of Sheffield United’s trip to Birmingham City on Monday - and the only man who wasn’t laughing, at least inwardly, was referee David Webb.

Webb was left haunched over after a stray pass from United’s John Egan caught him flush between the legs, leading to the referee finding just enough breath to blow for half-time a few seconds early as he looked to recover.

Players from both sides certainly saw the funny side, as did supporters inside St. Andrew’s. United won the game 2-1 to sign off their promotion-winning season in fine style and Webb will certainly be glad to see the back of them, having been smashed in the face by a ball in the Blades’ 1-0 defeat at Stoke last season.

On that occasion Webb was left prostate on the turf after Sander Berge’s pass rebounded off a Stoke man and caught him flush in the face. After some attention from medical staff on that occasion he recovered to finish the game and will have been relieved to reach the safety of his referee’s room at St. Andrew’s after being caught in a lower, but no less painful, part of his body.

Footage of the incident was shared by United’s social media team, with commentary from local radio pair Adam Oxley and the former Blades striker Carl Asaba. “It has hit him ... somewhere where men don’t like to be hit,” said Oxley, no doubt choosing his words carefully on-air, before adding: “Man down!” as Webb took a moment on his haunches to compose himself.