Barnsley kept their fine run of form going nicely with a 3-1 away win over Walsall in League One on Saturday, in front of a reported crowd of 5,199 at the Bescott Stadium.
Actually, it has since emerged that the attendance was actually a nice round 5,200 as, for reasons we don’t even begin to understand, one Barnsley fan decided to smuggle his pet hamster, Hector, into the ground with him in the hood of his jumper.
Barnsley hamster casual at Walsall away yesterday, looking forward to @VillaMouse taking him on next season. #avfc pic.twitter.com/AqupxHXUel
— My Old Man Said (@oldmansaid) March 6, 2016
Of course, it goes without saying that the National Hamster Council (yes, they actually exist) were incredibly concerned once they caught wind of Hector’s big matchday adventure.
Rosie Ray, a spokesperson for the NHC, told the Independent:
The person involved was clearly not demonstrating his duty of care towards the hamster.
A noisy football league match is no place for any pet and this hamster didn’t appear to be safely restrained in the hoodie.
He could have fallen out at any time and been lost, stolen or trodden on. I hope he won’t be doing it again.
Sod that. Hector’s already got tickets for Southend next weekend.