12 men banned from football matches for 3 years for violent disorder

Twelve men from Staffordshire have been hit with bans from attending football matches for three years following the chaotic Checkatrade trophy tie between Port Vale and Stoke City.

At North Staffordshire Justice Centre on Tuesday, magistrates convicted 12 men for violent disorder following the chaotic scenes at Vale Park on December 4, 2018.

There were shocking scenes of hooliganism on that night as Stoke fans trashed Port Vale's stadium, attacked police and pelted the pitch with bottles and flares.

Toilets were wrecked, missiles hurled and windows smashed during the fixture between the home side and their rival's Under 21s.

Vale, who won the match 4-0, were left with a significant repair bill thanks largely to the actions of sections of a substantial away following.

More than 4,000 tickets had been sold to Stoke fans for the first Potteries derby in 16 years and a febrile atmosphere erupted into violence as away fans ripped seats from the stands and launched them at police, along with coins and cigarette lighters.

One steward was seen being led away injured, apparently after being hit by a chair, as at least 200 officers were deployed to control the crowd.

The atmosphere turned ugly at half time when Stoke fans trashed facilities in the away enclosure, ripping out toilet seats and smashing windows.

Flares were also tossed onto the pitch during play while Port Vale goalscorer Luke Hannant was pelted with a beer bottle after celebrating near the away fans. He picked this up and tossed it away.

Images showed a line of police clad in riot gear holding the boundary of the pitch after the final whistle, as Stoke fans were held back to prevent a repeat of the fights between rival fans that took place before the game.

Clashes inside the stadium followed, with some officers having to use truncheons to hold the hooligans back. A nearby pub was also trashed.

Detective Inspector Steve Ward, senior investigating officer for Staffordshire Police, said: 'Since the fixture my team of detectives have been working hard to identify and locate all those responsible for the behaviour that resulted in thousands of pounds of damage at Vale Park.

'Three people have already been convicted with three-year banning orders included, but today is an important milestone as 12 more are brought to justice.

'Violence and disorder at sporting fixtures will never be tolerated and the banning orders will go some way to preventing such behaviour in future.'