A JUNIOR football cup match had to be abandoned with the tie finely poised when a player suffered a suspected broken arm.

Malvern Town Wanderers Under 14s were drawing 2-2 with Rock Sports Youth in the Mercian Festival Junior League’s Wayne Phillpotts Memorial Shield when one of the hosts’ players sustained the injury.

An ambulance was immediately called to the Wanderers ground on Sunday afternoon.

However, once the incident was dealt with, the referee felt it was too dark for the cup tie to continue.

Mercian league chairman George Silverman said: “The action the referee took has our full backing.

“The welfare of all players has to come first and we praise him for his decision.”

Silverman also confirmed the tie with Rock, who are based near Bewdley, will be replayed at a later date.