Every football fan knows it's not easy being a referee.

Officiating matches really is a thankless task and those in charge are usually given a very hard time when they're guilty of a mistake.

However, football lovers will certainly have a bit of sympathy for Danish referee, Nils Heer.

The official was in charge of a NordicBet Liga - Denmark's second-tier - game between FC Fredericia and Vendsyssel FF over the weekend and he was involved in a very unusual incident.

During the first half, FC Fredericia were on the counterattack while 1-0 down and one of their players, Kristian Kirkegaard, was fouled as he approached the penalty area.

But just before the forward was stopped in his tracks, he had laid the ball off to a teammate and put him through on goal.

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Unfortunately for Kirkegaard and FC Fredericia, Heer had already blown his whistle and as soon as the referee realised that he could have played advantage, he sunk to his knees on the pitch.

Unsurprisingly, Heer's incredibly honest response to what was a fairly huge mistake has gone viral on social media and you can check out footage of the incident below.

Video: Danish referee falls to his knees after major error

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Well, you certainly don't see that everyday...

"Love his reaction, very human thing to do not like some of the robotic cold refs you see," one person tweeted in response to the footage above.

Another wrote on the social media platform: "This is the humility we wish we saw in the Premier League. It's normal to make mistakes but the doubling down we see from Prem refs makes it seem like they have an agenda."

A third quipped: "Look at the reaction though. We don't want/need perfect referees, just ones who don't treat you like a dirt."

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Fortunately for Heer, FC Fredericia did manage to grab a goal later on in the game to secure a 1-1 draw and maintain their unbeaten start to the season.