South Yorkshire Police have made eight arrests after fan disorder at the Steel City derby, with Sheffield Wednesday’s Supporter Trust calling for action.
The highly anticipated Sheffield derby at Hillsborough on Sunday saw disorderly behaviour by both sets of fans, with an 11-year-old child allegedly ‘spat on’ by a Sheffield United fan.
Concerns have been raised by Sheffield United’s Supporters Trust regarding the location of some of the away fans in the stadium, directly above Wednesday fans.
The Trust’s statement said: “We understand that our fans are angry and many think that Sheffield United fans should not be placed in the upper tier of the West Stand.”
The Trust has pledged to work with the club and the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) in the near future to help prevent further incidents occurring.
SAGs provide a forum for discussing and advising on public safety at an event.
The Trust’s statement continued: “We utterly condemn the behaviour and actions of a significant number of United fans throwing bottles of liquid and spitting.
“These actions have led to injuries to children.”
Behaviour of some Wednesday supporters was also condemned by the trust, with missiles being thrown onto the pitch.
A social media post was released shortly after the match with a fan alleging her child ‘never wants to go again’ after being hit in the head with an object by a Sheffield United fan who has now been identified by the police.
Oliver Justice, 18, a Sheffield Wednesday fan who was at the game, said: “It’s not on. There was very high levels of disorder at the game. No matter which two teams are playing fans should be able to enjoy the game.
“The fact it’s a child who has been hurt by this makes it even worse so it’s really sad to see.”
The match was the first of its kind between the clubs at Hillsborough for six years, hence tensions were high.
The Blades won the match one nil after a 64th minute winner by Rhian Brewster.
The sides may not meet again in the near future with Sheffield United earmarked to get promoted.
