All of Yeovil Town’s ball boys were sent off during a top-of-the-table National League clash with Bromley.

The hosts beat league-leaders Bromley 3-1 at Huish Park on Saturday.

84 | The referee has, no joke, just sent off one of our ball boys…

(3-1) #YTFC

— Yeovil Town FC (@YTFC) September 28, 2019

85 | Update: he's dismissed all of them…

(3-1) #YTFC

— Yeovil Town FC (@YTFC) September 28, 2019

But with the score already decided and around five minutes left on the clock, the Yeovil Town Twitter account reported that one of the club’s ball boys had been sent off.

There then followed an update that all of them had been ordered off the pitch by referee Aaron Jackson.

Time wasting apparently. Wouldn’t return the ball. Yet Bromley wasted time throughout game.

— Andy Cleave (@CleaveO) September 28, 2019

http://twitter.com/MRamsey1974/status/1177977127783804930

It later emerged that they had been removed from the game because of what the officials perceived as systematic time wasting.

Jackson was apparently forced to begin retrieving the ball for the players instead.

90 | The referee runs to get a ball for Adam Smith (because he's sent the ball boys off…).

(3-1) #YTFC

— Yeovil Town FC (@YTFC) September 28, 2019