Trouble flares as fans clash at Stockport v Latics derby

LATICS fans were led away by police after crowd trouble during their derby defeat at Stockport County at Edgeley Park on Friday night.

Violence flared after some Athletic fans bought tickets for the Cheadle End — a Stockport section of the ground — and began celebrating Andy Liddell’s opening goal mid-way through the first half.

Fighting ensued following the strike for Oldham and the referee was forced to halt the game for a couple of minutes as it spilled onto the edge of the pitch.

Police moved in to quell trouble and several blooded fans were escorted away by officers and stewards.

Latics supporters blamed an inadequate allocation of 2,000 tickets for the hotly-anticipated League One game.

They quickly sold out a week in advance leaving supporters, desperate to cheer on their team, turning up on the night and purchasing tickets from the Stockport ticket office instead.

They were then able to get in to the home section where trouble occurred.

One Latics supporter in the middle of the melee said: “Some of the fans jumped up and down in the Stockport end which started it all off.

“There was fighting and I saw one guy with blood on his face. The police came running down the stand as fighting spilled on to the pitch.

“It was stupid because all we wanted to do was watch the game.”

Order was quickly restored and there was no other trouble before or after the incident. Latics went on to record their first defeat of the season, losing 3-1 in front of a crowd of 8,360.

Latics chief executive Alan Hardy said: “I was there and aware of the trouble.

“It seems to have been caused by Oldham Athletic supporters in the Stockport end, which breaches crowd regulations.”

He said Oldham had asked for more tickets but Stockport did not increase their allocation.

While that was disappointing, he sympathised with Stockport as there are restrictions on how many fans can attend and any decision is made in consultation with police.

A police spokesman said today: “Several Oldham fans were ejected from the ground. There was one arrest for public disorder.”