Nuneaton Borough derby clash with Tamworth FC abandoned as projectiles thrown onto pitch

A derby football match between Nuneaton Borough and Tamworth had to be abandoned after violence erupted between fans.

Match officials were forced to stop the game during the second half at The Lamb ground on Tuesday, 21 February.

Nuneaton Borough's official Twitter account described "projectiles" being thrown and both sets of players being forced to leave the pitch.

It happened during the second half of the game, which at the time saw Tamworth leading 2-0.

It was after the players left the pitch that match officials then took the decision to abandon the game, according to a post on the Tamworth FC account on Twitter.

In a statement published this afternoon the club said:

"Unfortunately a very small minority of Nuneaton supporters in their segregated area instigated ugly scenes by throwing flares and other objects onto the pitch and into a group of Tamworth supporters when the home side scored their second goal.

The stewarding team, which had been supplemented by an outside company, worked very hard to restore order.

"At that point the Tamworth supporters were asked to move away from the top end of the ground to create a sterile area from the halfway line and we would like to thank them for their orderly manner and swift evacuation to other parts of the ground.

The Police, who were aware of the fixture, and had earlier escorted some Nuneaton supporters from the town centre to the ground, then attended.

"With regards to allegations made on social media that batteries were thrown, following a thorough search inside and outside of the ground no evidence of this happening was found.

"There was substantial damage caused to the toilets in the Nuneaton supporters segregated area and also to the first of two segregation barriers in the away end.

The game was initially suspended and then abandoned by the referee after around 60 mins with Tamworth leading 2-0.

Tamworth Football Club totally condemns this behaviour which spoiled a very good evening and should have been a showcase for Non League Football.

"We are now working with the Police to identify the perpetrators of this behaviour using CCTV, social media and still photographs.

"The incident is being investigated by the authorities and we will update supporters once we are aware of the outcomes.

"The club will not be making any further comments at this stage."

In a statement this afternoon Staffordshire Police said:

"We were called at 6.25pm on Tuesday (21 February) to Tamworth Football Club following reports of emerging tension between a minority of fans.

"The match was a non-league fixture with club stewards in place.

"We sent officers to the town centre and patrolled the area until fans made their way to the game.

"At 8.21pm we were advised that it was believed a number of away fans had allegedly damaged a toilet block.

"Then, shortly after 9pm, we were advised that disorder was escalating inside of the ground and we attended to support the stewards, two of whom reported being assaulted.

"No serious injuries were reported.

"It was further reported that flares and missiles were being thrown and a small portion of fencing was damaged.

"One man sustained a head injury following a fall. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing.

He was left in the care of West Midlands Ambulance Service and local officers are investigating. No other injuries were reported.

"The game was abandoned by the referee as we sent further officers to the scene along with colleagues from West Midlands Police.

"We worked with colleagues to arrange the exit of both sets of fans and carried out patrols both in the town and up to the train station.

"We informed British Transport Police and Warwickshire Police of the movement of fans on the railway network.

"Patrols continued until shortly after midnight when our resources were stood down.

"No arrests were made at the time.

"We will be reviewing what happened and will work with the club and relevant football authorities as part of this investigation.

"A number of suspects have already been identified as part of this work and we will be taking appropriate action.

"We continue to work with the club to ensure the safety of the public at events in the future."

Some have raised eyebrows about why the game took place after another huge event in the area - the Atherstone Ball Game.

There has long been a rivalry between the two clubs and violence erupted at the previous meeting of the two teams at Liberty Way. 

This came after chants were made about Nuneaton Borough fan Morgan Hehir, who was stabbed in 2015.

Derogatory chants were made about Mr Hehir during the game and a sickening comment about the 20-year-old was also posted on the Tamworth Fans FC group on Facebook around the same time.

Tamworth FC pledged to ban the person responsible.

After the game was abandoned last night, Southern League Premier Division Central officials will have to decide if either team will face punishment.

A decision will have to be taken if the game will be replayed or if the score at the time of the abandonment is allowed to stand.