Hollywood actor Steve Martin trolled by Newcastle fans after he is mistaken for referee

But the Hollywood star has found himself caught in the cross fire between Newcastle United fans and a football referee.

The team lost 2-1 to Nottingham Forest away last night; but the clash proved controversial with two penalties and two red cards.

Overseeing the match was referee Steve Martin - and Newcastle fans have not been the kindest about him on social media since the final whistle blew.

But their frustrations were not aimed at the right target, with Martin (the actor) taking to his Twitter account @SteveMartinToGo to clear the air, after messages from angry football supporters.

In a post, he said: "Evidently, there's someone who's a bad referee with my name, and now there are thousands of English who won't go see my films anymore."

His response was taken in good humour, though, with many responding with memes, questions about the match and assurances that they, at least, would still watch his movies.