FOUR Sheffield Wednesday fans have been given football banning orders for a fight at a Derbyshire pub on the way to a Derby County game.
The men were in the White Lion in Ripley when they became involved in an affray which saw punches, chairs and glasses being thrown. The incident was caught on CCTV.
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The footage, captured in the courtyard of the pub, also shows an elderly man "enjoying a lunchtime pint" being caught up in the melee, with his table being pushed over.The incident began after Scott Matheson, "who is known to police for his activity related to Derby County", made a comment to one of the Sheffield Wednesday fans – Danny Fields – and then pushed him, before throwing a glass in Fields' direction.
Jonathan Dee, prosecuting, at Derby Crown Court, sitting at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court, said: "The violence was instigated by Matheson." However, the court heard Matheson, 27, had been acquitted of committing an offence on November 9 by a jury at Derby Crown Court a few weeks ago.
Handing Fields, 31, and his three accomplices suspended jail sentences, after they admitted affray, Judge Jonathan Gosling said: "You didn't start this incident. I have no doubt about that, but you were ready to take Mr Matheson on and you in the end charged at him, having thrown your beer glass at him in retaliation."
To the others, Jonathan Fisher, 29, Mark Harrison, 44, and Lee Marsden, 38, Judge Gosling said: "You three joined in and laid into Mr Matheson with fists and chairs being thrown. I accept you weren't looking for trouble but this was a sudden and unplanned episode of drunken thuggery."
Fields, of Angel Yard, Saltergate, Chesterfield; Fisher, of Middle Lane, Stannington, Sheffield; and Marsden, of St Matthew's Close, Renishaw, Sheffield, were given nine months in prison, suspended for two years. Harrison, of Delves Road, Killamarsh, Sheffield, who has had football banning orders imposed twice previously, was given a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for two years.
They were given three-year football banning orders, banning them from Sheffield city centre on match days and requiring them to hand in their passports whenever England play abroad.
Fields and Fisher must do 120 hours of unpaid work, Harrison was told to attend an offender behaviour programme and Marsden was given an order to help him with an alcohol problem. They will all be supervised by the probation service for 12 months and must all pay £120 costs and a £100 victim surcharge.
Following sentencing, PC Roger Brown, football intelligence officer for Derbyshire police, said: "This is a reminder that football-related disorder doesn't just happen inside football grounds or even just in the immediate vicinity. Derbyshire police are committed to reducing disorder – whether football-related or not."
