A 15-year-old boy has been arrested following crowd trouble at a Midland Football League play-off match, where a flare was thrown into the stands, leading to pitch invasions and scuffles. The incident occurred on Saturday, May 2, at Gornal Athletic FC's Garden Walk Stadium in Dudley, after Sutton United FC from Sutton Coldfield secured promotion.
Flare Thrown Into Crowd
Video footage captured the moment a lit flare was thrown onto the pitch, and then a young man hurled it back into the crowd. This sparked confrontations on the playing surface, with more fans leaving the stands and engaging in further scuffles.
Police Response
West Midlands Police confirmed that officers attended the scene and arrested a teenage boy on suspicion of violent disorder. He has been released on bail pending further enquiries. A police spokesperson said: "We're investigating following disorder at Gornal Athletic FC on Saturday afternoon. No-one was seriously injured but we're now in the process of viewing footage to establish what offences took place and who was involved."
Club Statements
Both clubs condemned the disorder. Gornal Athletic FC released a statement criticising the police for not attending the match as requested. The statement said: "The club strongly condemns the scenes of crowd disorder... Such behaviour has no place in football... We formally contacted West Midlands Police to request a police presence throughout the entirety of the game. Despite our clear communication and concerns, officers were only in attendance after the incident had already taken place."
Sutton United FC also condemned the trouble, with a spokesman describing it as "a bit of silliness" after a Gornal fan threw a flare onto the pitch and someone threw it back.
Ongoing Investigation
Police are continuing their enquiries and have appealed for anyone with information to contact them via Live Chat on their website or by calling 101, quoting log 3806 of 2/5/26.
