A CHAMPIONSHIP clash was stopped after a bird of prey dropped a carcass onto the pitch in the middle of the match.
Fans and players at West Brom‘s clash with Derby County were perplexed when an object appeared to be dropped on the field of play.
Shutterstock EditorialPlay was stopped as the dead bird was removed from the pitch[/caption]
Shutterstock EditorialIt took a three-minute stoppage to remedy the bizarre situation[/caption]
Accounts say the object turned out to be a bloody pigeon carcass dropped by another bird.
Play was brought to a halt by referee Ruebyn Ricardo in the 67th minute as a member of the backroom staff was brought on to the pitch to dispose of the bird.
The away end made their own fun during the break, jokingly cheering the staff member on as he cleared the field of play.
The stoppage lasted three minutes before play was resumed, presumably to mixed emotions of fans who had endured the dreary performances of both sides before the respite.
The bizarre situation had broken the monotony of what had been a barren 0-0 stalemate up to that point, heading into the final 20 minutes of the game.
One attendee wrote on X: “Play stopped at West Brom v Derby because of a dead pigeon on the pitch… easily the most lively moment of the game so far.”
One theory is that there’s a kestrel which lives in the corner of the East Stand at the Hawthorns and it dropped some kill on the pitch.
That might explain the bizarre situation, which is sure to be a moment fans in attendance will never forget.
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Things did eventually pick up on the field following the stoppage, with Derby forward Andreas Weimann breaking the stalemate with his 84th minute opener.
Derby were able to hold onto that narrow lead during a hefty spell of extra time to notch their first win of the season.
Perhaps the Baggies will attribute the loss, their first of the season as they chase promotion, to the sheer shock of playing through such a bizarre event.
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