Tamworth-Nuneaton game abandoned amid violence

"Chaos" was reported at Tamworth's home ground, The Lamb

A non-league football match between local rivals was abandoned due to fan violence and racist and homophobic chants.

Tamworth FC were at home and beating Nuneaton Borough 2-0 when the seventh-tier Southern League Premier Division Central fixture was suspended.

Missiles were thrown in the crowd and there were reports of stewards being assaulted during Tuesday's fixture.

Tamworth FC condemned the behaviour of fans involved.

The players were taken off the pitch and police were called before the match was abandoned.

'Bricks, bottles, batteries'

Nuneaton Borough FC coach Jimmy Ginnelly said he felt "pretty fed-up" with the behaviour, which he said started in the first half and escalated when Tamworth scored early in the second.

"Almighty chaos kicked off in the corner [between the] two sets of fans. Just throwing objects at each other. There was bricks, bottles, even batteries seemed to find their way over."

He added: "One or two [were] saying some players' parents and kids were in the top end, and they were getting really frightened for their safety."

Mr Ginnelly said he believed a "flash point" between fans in the sides' previous fixture, at Nuneaton's Liberty Way ground, had led to the disorder.

"There was awful chanting at the home game and I think the two sets of fans have continued it," he said.

He suggested "poor" stewarding on Tuesday and a lack of police presence had contributed to the problems.

"We offered to take stewards with us to contain our fans but [Tamworth] didn't want us to take any. I'm not blaming them because I understand the price and I understand they wanted to do it themselves, but they got it quite wrong last night," he said, adding Nuneaton supporters "were not blameless".

"There was no police in the ground at all, with over 2,000 people, a volatile local derby... it turned into chaos."

Nuneaton Borough's Liberty Way ground was the scene of the reverse fixture

Staffordshire Police said it sent officers to Tamworth town centre following "reports of emerging tensions between a minority of fans" about an hour before kick-off.

The force said it was later informed away fans had damaged a toilet block and at 21:00 GMT issues had escalated.

"We attended to support the stewards, two of whom reported being assaulted," a statement said.

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

Police added that one man suffered a non life-changing head injury after a fall.

'Ugly scenes'

When the game was abandoned, the force sent additional officers along with more from West Midlands Police.

Staffordshire Police said no arrests were made at the time but that it would review what had happened and "work with the club and relevant football authorities as part of this investigation".

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

Tamworth FC said police had been informed of the fixture and that a search in and around the ground after the match had uncovered no evidence that batteries had been thrown.

A statement added: "A very small minority of Nuneaton supporters in their segregated area instigated ugly scenes by throwing flares and other objects on to 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."

The violence comes 14 months after Tamworth's game with Biggleswade was abandoned at halftime following alleged racist abuse.