Football fan banned after Fratton Park pitch invasion during south-coast derby between Portsmouth and Southampton
A man has been banned from football games after running onto the pitch
A football fan has been banned from games after charging onto the pitch and hurling a ball at Southampton supporters during the South Coast derby.
Taylor Rogers, of Havant Road, has been banned from football games for four years after he ran onto the pitch at Fratton Park during the second half of the derby game between Portsmouth and Southampton, in January.
Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court heard how Rogers ran towards the Southampton fans and threw a ball in their direction, before he was escorted away by stewards.
The 32-year-old pleaded guilty to going onto the playing area at a designated football match and throwing a missile at spectators.
Chief Superintendent Simon Dodds, gold commander for the match, said: “We appreciate that passions run high during these games but there’s never an excuse for disrupting the game in this way.
“Thanks to the stewards and our officers, he wasn’t on the pitch for very long but acts like this can spark trouble and fuel animosity between fans, which had the potential to ruin the derby for everyone.
“Pitch invaders threaten the safety of those on the pitch, as well as the fans and it is our duty, alongside the clubs, to take action against them to ensure that matches can take place in a secure environment without any interruption.”
Rogers was also ordered to pay a total of £1,205 in fines and costs. He was not the only person escorted off the pitch during the game, with stewards also removing Richard Conaghan from the field.
Conaghan appeared at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court were he was banned from attending football games in the UK for three years. His sentencing came after he pleaded guilty to going onto the playing area during a derby match against Southampton at Fratton Park on January 25.
During the celebrations for the first goal of the derby match Conaghan climbed over the advertising board and went over towards the Milton End, gesturing to the away fans.