Ian Payne would not have missed his first daughter's birth for anything in the world. But he also had no intention of missing the match.

Hours after becoming a father, Ian was on the pitch with his team-mates.

The left back, who plays for Crawley Town, had been by his wife's side throughout her 30-hour labour.

But shortly after Abigail Rebecca arrived at 6.29am on New Year's Day, weighing 5lbs 15oz, he turned out to help his team in a crunch game.

And under any other circumstances, his wife Julie would have been cheering him on from the stands.

Julie, who arrived home in Pound Hill, Crawley, with Abigail from East Surrey Hospital in Redhill yesterday, said: "I told him to go and play.

"I usually go to all the matches but I think they'll forgive me for missing this one.

"I'm not feeling too bad, but I'm very tired. I'll be happy to get a good night's sleep."

So far Abigail has not thrown any temper tantrums likely to get her a red card - she has spent most of the time asleep.

Ian, 26, a manager at Dorking Post Office, is the longest-serving member of Crawley Town and has played 320 matches in his eight years on the team.

His team drew 0-0 against Welling United at Broadfield Stadium, Crawley, but Ian was pleased with the result as Welling have had a run of victories for the past four games.

He said: "I wanted to play but if Abigail had been born any later, or Julie wanted me there, then there's no question I would have stayed.

"I was absolutely shattered and hadn't eaten or slept but as we're second in the league every match now is important.

"Abigail is unbelievable. Just to sit there and look at her and hold her is amazing. It's very exciting. We're still getting used to it."