Paul Merson’s return to football didn’t quite go to plan

Paul Merson didn't know what he was getting himself into.

The Arsenal legend is officially back in football, having agreed to play for Caerau FC after some encouragement from a friend. Merse didn't know, however, that the club was based in the fourth tier of Welsh football when he lined out for them against Pontyclun on Wednesday night. The 49-year-old played for over an hour at the Caerau Athletic Ground, having been persuaded to play by the club's secretary Dai Hooper, a close friend of Merson's. https://twitter.com/JOE_co_uk/status/863355879667769344 Caerau were leading 3-2 and Merson had thrown himself about, leaving his mark on the opposition centre-half, but the game was called off due to floodlight failure, a problem which Merson never had to contend with at Highbury. "I didn't play very well but the team were winning which is the main thing," Merson told Sky Sports of his debut.

"It's a great crowd – and so far so good, except the floodlights have gone off.

"It's not a one-off. I said I'll sign and I'll play midweek. I love playing and if I can keep on playing then I will."

And while it might not have gone quite according to plan, Merson's appearance for the Maesteg-based club went down an absolute storm on social media. https://twitter.com/BBCSportWales/status/921104400420044800 https://twitter.com/IanSaintCasey/status/920729481177915392 https://twitter.com/Pooglaa/status/920772928492441601 https://twitter.com/SundayChants/status/921308037452886016 https://twitter.com/GingeKnievil/status/921299134103027713 https://twitter.com/JordsAlexJones/status/921009656897720321 https://twitter.com/SkyBet/status/920758830526599168 https://twitter.com/Leggy98/status/920746006135934978 https://twitter.com/DanSmith_21/status/920714992894316546