Shrewsbury Town’s emphatic midweek derby win against Hereford United was marred by crowd trouble as more than 100 people were involved in disturbances.
Several people were arrested for various offences, including assaults on police and club stewards as well as public order matters at Tuesday night’s clash which Shrewsbury won 4-0.
Fighting broke out between groups of rival fans in the first half as police were called in to restore order.
A giant keepsake Shrewsbury Town flag which was used by the club in the League Two play-off final against Gillingham was also ripped up by visiting yobs. It is usually hung in the North Stand where the away fans are seated.
Chief Inspector Martin Whitelegg said the club was forced to call for police support when the trouble broke out.
He said: “Prior to the fixture, we were not requested by the club to provide policing at the ground as they have their own stewards. However, we did have a small number of officers on duty to deal with any ancillary disorder in the town.
“But due to significant disorder breaking out in the ground during the match which the stewards were unable to manage on their own, the club’s safety officer requested assistance from the police and we attended to restore order.”
Chief Inspector Whitelegg confirmed that investigations into what happened will now be carried out and CCTV used to trace the offenders.
Ian Bevington, operations and commercial manager at Shrewsbury Town, said: “Unfortunately there were a few supporters who were intent on causing disruption. We identified a number of troublemakers in the first half and brought in some extra police support.
“There were an element of Shrewsbury Town fans involved but they were being incited by Hereford fans. It looked like a major disorder but it was actually very much under control.”
Hereford United has vowed to back any investigation into the disorder with club chairman, David Keyte, admitting he was ‘sickened’ by the events which unfolded.
“We are sad and sickened by what happened and hopefully all the culprits will be identified and dealt with by the courts.
“The outbreak last night was mindless and pointless and we will make sure that any guilty from Hereford will be banned from the ground,” he said in a club statement.
By David Seadon