United in fan trouble

Source: Edited from Manchester Evening News

Meanwhile in Blackpool, five fans were arrested and a number of fixed penalty tickets were given out for drunkenness and drinking on the street as some 4,000 FC United fans descended on the town for the North West Counties League clash with Blackpool Mechanics.

It was the biggest away support at Blackpool FC's Bloomfield Road ground for 20 years and Lancashire Police admitted they were caught off-guard. Seven fans were ejected from the ground after a pitch invasion and a large crowd was prevented from getting into the ground late after watching the United game in pubs.

"We weren't expecting anything like those numbers and the match itself wasn't policed at all," said a spokesman.

"There were a number of arrests after the game but any trouble was only on the sort of scale you'd expect with a crowd of that size. The pubs were heaving."

FC United won the game 4-2.