Bristol Evening Post Turns Blind Eye to Football Violence

Reading Monday's Bristol Evening Post you might believe that £3 extra on each ticket had bought enough policing to prevent any trouble from occurring. However if you were in the area or are from Swindon you will know things were quite otherwise.

There was a police helicopter circling long before the match began and remained some time after it had finished. Mounted police in riot gear were very visible on the streets and attended trouble at the top end of Ashley Down Road.

However the most serious incident took place at the Inn on the Green pub in Horfield as reported in the Swindon newspaper:

http://www.adver.co.uk/

A GANG of 20 hooligans armed with baseball bats attacked Swindon Town fans before the team's crucial match with Bristol Rovers.

The unprovoked violence took place at the Inn on the Green pub in Horfield, Bristol, at about 1.30pm as about 30 Town fans gathered for a friendly pre-match drink before the crunch encounter.

Fans caught up in the terrifying ordeal have described the attack as premeditated.

Karen Norton, 22, of Wantage, was among the Town fans targeted in the pub's beer garden. She said: "We were just sat in the pub garden and all of a sudden these blokes came in with baseball bats and started throwing glasses and bottles at us.

"It was completely unprovoked as we were just enjoying a quiet drink, there were even some Rovers fans there who we were getting on with. I got put behind a group of blokes for my own safety, but then a glass only just missed my face.

"The blokes with the baseball bats were just attacking the Swindon fans - there was blood everywhere. I was just crying my eyes out. I have never seen anything like it in my life."
advertisement

One eyewitness said the gang were contacted via mobile phone by one man who then singled out the fans that were attacked.

Chris Doore, 33, also from Wantage, said that the yobs crashed through the beer garden's fence to make their escape.

He said: "The fence was demolished in the beer garden as they legged it. After about five minutes six or seven riot police arrived and I said you're a bit late.' "There must have been between 20 and 30 blokes in casual clothes and one of them was shouting they're over there' pointing to the Swindon fans.

"I saw one bloke get hit in the face and there were quite a few others who were injured."

The article goes on to say

PC James Neighbour, Swindon police football liaison officer, said that he was aware of the violence at the Inn on the Green and said it was one of several flashpoints involving rival supporters before the game.

But he said the perpetrators of the violence would be dealt with by Avon and Somerset police.

He said: "As far as I am concerned, I'm aware that there was trouble in various different locations in Bristol.

"Avon and Somerset police are also aware and the matter will be dealt with accordingly.

"I thought Swindon fans were well behaved. What I can say is that small groups of Swindon fans were being picked off by larger groups of Bristol Rovers risk' supporters, in other words hooligans.

"It was disappointing to see, but there was a police helicopter with a camera, police units with cameras and lots of footage taken so we can arrest those responsible."

According to comments posted on the Swindon web site, a ground share for Rovers at Swindon looks far less likely and they are spreading the word so that Rovers may find themselves unwelcome at any nearby grounds.

This sort of behaviour may represent only a minority but if it is still happening, this will never be a family friendly spectator activity regardless of the actual stadium facilities.

On Points West immediately after the Development Control Meeting at the Council when the planning approval for the new stadium was decided Bill Smith, chief executive of BRFC said of the new stadium plans "It is something for the whole of Bristol ... something that puts us on the sporting map." Unfortunately the Rovers have already put themselves on the sporting map and not gloriously, but through shameful acts. At the same time one of the Rovers supporters said "it'll be a much better experience for away supporters as well, and gives them a much better welcome." In the light of last Saturday's match, it would seem a "better welcome" is not what some fans are after.

-