A Barnsley fan fell asleep on the toilet at half-time during the home defeat to Fleetwood on Saturday and woke up seven hours later to find the ground deserted.

The supporter managed to escape into the Oakwell concourse before setting off a security alarm. Firefighters arrived to find the man in his 20s standing on top of a temporary building calling for help.

A Barnsley fire station spokesperson told the Yorkshire Post: “We got the call through to attend Oakwell and usually its just a false alarm. But we turned up and saw this young lad trying to get our attention.

“We had to get the ladder to get him down. He had no shoes on and had lost his mobile phone and his hat. He was more bothered about his hat though, he seemed a smartly dressed lad.”

The fan blamed the incident on drinking too many beers but despite his remarkable stupor he didn’t miss much – Barnsley were down 1-0 at the break and that is how it stayed.