Port Vale 4-0 Stoke City: 11 arrests in rare Potteries derby
- Published
Stoke fans behind the goal made up around half of the 7,940 attendance at Vale Park
Police made 11 arrests and condemned the "despicable behaviour by a large number of fans" as Port Vale thrashed Stoke City Under-21s 4-0 in the Checkatrade Trophy.
Staffordshire Police had described the match beforehand as their biggest footballing operation for 10 years., external
"Considerable damage" was caused to the away end at Vale Park.
Chief superintendent Wayne Jones said his officers faced "shocking levels of hostility".
It had been the first Potteries derby since February 2002 and almost 4,000 Stoke fans swelled the attendance to 7,940, with more than 150 police officers deployed.
"A very challenging op having to deal with mindless violence, disorder & damage," tweeted, external assistant chief constable Emma Barnett.
Damage was caused to seats and toilets, while windows were broken at Port Vale's stadium.
Jones told BBC Radio Stoke that between 150 and 200 fans started causing trouble from 18:15 GMT.
"The toilet block in the away stand was damaged badly," he said. "The cisterns and urinals were smashed off the wall, windows were damaged and there was an attempt to set fire to the toilet block."
The 11 people arrested were all from north Staffordshire, aged between 18 and 61, and detained for a mixture of public order and violence offences.
"There was some despicable behaviour by a large number of fans," said Jones. "We will start a post-match investigation and I will be relentless in pursuing every single person involved.
"I expect there to be more arrests in the coming days as we examine CCTV coverage and gather evidence of the crimes committed."
Port Vale say repair works are being carried out now in preparation for their next home game against Cheltenham Town on Saturday, 15 December.
A Port Vale statement said the club are "appalled at the behaviour of some so-called supporters" and will work with Staffordshire Police and Stoke City to "ensure those already arrested are punished appropriately through the courts", as well as identifying others involved.
"Port Vale Football Club condemns the actions of those people who attended the game with the intention of not enjoying a football match," it added.
"Their actions were a danger to other supporters and match-day staff and police, who were working to ensure everyone could enjoy the match in a safe and friendly environment.
"We will not tire to rid the game of those who seek to endanger the safety and enjoyment of those genuine supporters who love this wonderful game and we are also mindful and protective of those people who serve and work in the game to ensure the safety and enjoyment of all."
Stoke City say the "actions of a minority of the crowd" were "deplorable" and anyone found guilty of disorder would be given a "lengthy" banning order.
"Where this behaviour involved so-called supporters of Stoke City we will be working closely with Staffordshire Police and Port Vale to bring the culprits to justice," a Stoke spokesperson said.
The EFL condemned the "unacceptable disorder" and said it would "provide whatever assistance that is available" to help police and Football Association investigations.
Tom Pope and Luke Hannant goals and Cristian Montano's double settled the match as Port Vale progressed to the last 16 of the competition.