REG ON THE BRINK AND REG ON THE BRINK!!

 23rd March 1951

I would guess my level of anger and disappointment at being at an abandoned fixture, would depend on how well my team was doing at its conclusion. 

On Friday 23rd March 1951, Newport County fans in the 6,741 crowd at their home, Somerton Park for a Division 3 (South) fixture would have been livid. On a wet and windy Good Friday, their side was 5-1 up against second-placed Norwich City and with a little more than a quarter of an hour remaining the two points looked a certainty. Then referee, Arthur Blythe, abandoned the match following Norwich City defender, Reg Foulkes (below) injuring himself, after heading the rain-sodden leather ball. Those of you of a certain age will remember that a soaking-wet leather ball was often a lethal weapon!

(it certainly did not respect nice haircuts!!)

The Newport fans were not too pleased and many stayed to demonstrate their disapproval at the ref, who could only escape the ground disguised as an ambulance man and with a police escort. The match was voided and in the replay a month later the points were shared in a 1-1 draw. Not only did Newport have the victory taken from them but the scorers in the first match had their goals deleted from the records. 

Reginald Ernest Arundel "Reg" Parker (born 10 June 1921 – died 1997) was a Welsh professional footballer. A centre-forward, Parker began his career at Cardiff City, playing for the side in wartime fixtures. Parker later went on to serve in World War 2 before returning to Ninian Park on his return, where he was unable to force his way past Stan Richards and made just two appearances at the end of the 1947–48 season. 

One of Newport's goalscorers in the original match was Reg  and when he retired  in 1954, he had 99 League goals for Newport to his name; the century, possibly, being denied him by that abandonment. In August 1948, he joined Newport County in exchange for Bryn Allen, going on to make 201 appearances for the side between 1948 and 1954, scoring 99 goals!!!