WORCESTER City have apologised to those who witnessed an ‘ugly assault’ on a young City supporter during the club’s 2-1 defeat to Shawbury United on Saturday.
Following an investigation into the incident, which saw a male fan move down from the public viewing balcony at the Ludlow Football Stadium and grab a fellow City supporter by the face, the board has banned the unnamed supporter for the rest of the 2017/18 campaign.
The attack initially began with a verbal exchange but quickly escalated, with a steward, a Shawbury official and City captain Brad Birch stepping in to prevent further violence.
A club statement issued in the aftermath confirmed the individual who carried out the assault was a long-time follower of the Blue and Whites and a post on City’s Facebook page stated the decision to ban him had been reached after gathering around 20 witness statements from Shawbury officials, supporters and City players.
It was a feisty affair on the pitch during the Midland Football League Premier Division clash, as City striker Mark Danks was shown a straight red just before the half-hour mark for a stamp on United’s Josh Thomas.
The Blue and Whites were already 1-0 down at that point after Thomas’ deflected shot put the hosts in front on 16 minutes.
Despite having to play more than an hour with ten men, City levelled through Alex Tomkinson’s powerful low shot. But the lead was short lived as a half-cleared free-kick led to Steve Faux volleying in the winner moments later.
Worcester will be looking to bounce back when they host South Normanton Athletic at the Victoria Ground on Saturday (kick-off 3pm).