When Former Premier League Defender, Martin Keown came as a pitch side football pundit for the Arsenal vs. Leeds United match, little did he know what he will face. The job of a pitch side pundit is always precarious and Keown discovered this to his cost last night. Keown was working for ESPN at his old club Arsenal during their FA cup tie with Leeds United, when he was hit by a ball on his head.

The smartly dressed 45-year-old pundit was talking with ESPN presenter Rebecca Lowe alongside former Premier League midfielder Robbie Savage, with the pair taking audible abuse from the raucous Leeds support behind the goal. And then he was smacked in the side of his head by a stray ball live on air. The ball was apparently kicked by a Leeds player warming up.

Keown dealt admirably with the situation, brushing it off with a thumbs-up towards the Lees team. Keown himself has spent two decades as a central defender; another impromptu header wasn’t going to do him any harm.

Presenter Lowe asked him, “Are you alright?” Keown then quipped with presenter Rebecca Lowe that, “Yeah, just about - they can keep doing it…you're supposed to tell me they're coming”

Martin Keown has made over 300 appearances for Arsenal and won nine trophies. He has also represented England in two World Cups. He retired in 2005 and since then has been working as a TV pundit for ESPN, BBC, Al Jazeera Sports.

“It was a former Spurs man who you may have seen hit me with the ball while I was on-air on Monday night…lex Bruce tipped me off that his Leeds team-mate Michael Brown - the ex-Tottenham midfielder - was the culprit. At least he was apparently trying to aim at Robbie Savage, not me...” – Martin Keown

This was not the only unpleasant incident that took place that night. Savage was left fuming when Leeds fans pelted him and Lowe with hot dogs, coins and verbal abuse. So much so, that Robbie Savage took to his twitter, “Must majority of Leeds fans were a disgrace throwing coins and hot dogs, shouting obscenities to a lady presenter! Disgrace!..Leeds fans with there daughters screaming foul and Abusive language at Rebecca hope your proud of yourselves! Shocking!..No it wasn't minority it was majority, you embarrassed yourselves thinking you're big and clever, mindless idiots!”

(PHOTOS): Daily Mail