Newport County goalkeeper Joe Day cuts short FA Cup celebrations to attend birth of twins

The FA Cup fourth-round replay night of Tuesday 5 February will be one that Joe Day is unlikely to forget in a long, long time.

The goalkeeper had kept a clean sheet to help his side Newport County into the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 1949.

The 2-0 giant-killing of Championship Middlesbrough handed them a home tie against the reigning Premier Leeague champions, Manchester City.

But a few hours after the final whistle, things got a lot more memorable for Day.

While his team-mates were whooping and celebrating under the watery glow of the floodlights at a muddy Rodney Parade, Day asked his manager Mike Flynn, “Gaffer, can I go now please?” then sprinted off the pitch and down the tunnel.

Television footage revealed he looked to be in quite a hurry.

He was. His wife Lizzie had just gone into labour. With twins.

And early on Wednesday morning he became the proud father of Sophia Grace and Emelia Lillie.

After the match Flynn said: “He had turned his phone off. He is that professional. As soon as the match finished, he said ‘Gaffer, thank you so much, can I go now please?’ And I said ‘of course you can, do you need a lift'”

His team-mate Padraig Amond, who scored the second goal after Robbie Willmott, said on Wednesday: “They’ve had two healthy baby girls so congratulations to Joe and his partner Lizzie and the two little girls as well. It’s brilliant.”

| A huge congratulations to ‘Keeper Joe Day and his wife Lizzie who gave birth to twins Sophia Grace Day and Emelia Lillie Day last night.

Mother Lizzie and the two girls are all healthy and already looking forward to the #EmiratesFACup Fifth Round! #OneClubOneCounty pic.twitter.com/dzJu9oMCRS

— Newport County AFC (@NewportCounty) February 6, 2019