Gareth Bale fan who invaded pitch after Wales goal banned
- Published
Matthew Aaron Yorwerth, 30, invaded the pitch after Gareth Bale (pictured) hit the net in Andorra
A fan who ran on to the pitch in Andorra when Gareth Bale scored a winning goal last year has been handed a football banning order.
Matthew Aaron Yorwerth, 30, of Wrexham, will be barred from matches for three years, after a Mold Magistrates' Court hearing on Monday.
He was labelled a "risk supporter" by police after the 2014 Euro qualifier.
A Wrexham fan has also been banned from matches for five years over separate conduct.
'Lack of control'
District Judge Gwyn Jones said Wales fans were "extremely happy" when Bale scored the winning goal in the 2-1 away win on 9 September, last year.
Yorwerth, of New Broughton, was "unable to control his emotions" and went on to the pitch with other fans, having earlier drunk alcohol, the judge said.
"He may have wanted to enjoy the moment," he said.
Travelling fans spilt on to the pitch after Bale scored in Andorra
"But it is clear that there was a significant lack of control in making his way directly from the stand onto the pitch itself," he added.
The incident led to the Welsh Football Association being fined 5,000 euros for failing to control its supporters.
Yorwerth described his actions as "a moment of madness".
'Regret'
"My intention was to celebrate with the players," he said. "Tension spilt over and I fully regret doing it."
Under the order made by the judge, Yorwerth is not to attend any regulated football matches in the UK for three years and, when Wales is playing away, he must surrender his passport.
He is not to go within 1 km (0.62 miles) of any stadium involved in Wales or Wrexham FC games five hours before or after any match. Yorwerth was also ordered to pay £450 court costs.
In a separate hearing at the same court, Wrexham FC fan David Craig Peters, 43, from Wrexham, was handed a five-year ban from any regulated football matches.
He was connected to fan trouble in the Netherlands and Telford, in the West Midlands, during the hearing.