Troublemakers warned about Marine FC v Manchester outfit FC United match

Source: Crosby Herald

Mar 26 2009 By Staff Reporter

TROUBLEMAKERS thinking of using the Northern Line train service when Marine FC welcome Manchester outfit FC United this Saturday have been warned.

FCUM have been given 1,000 tickets for the fixture while the home side have 750, and a heavy police presence has been planned for the streets surrounding the Arriva stadium on the day.

No tickets will be on sale on the day itself, while supporters will be segregated.

Inspector Adrian Yorston, of British Transport Police, yesterday told the Herald that the BTP will carry out a ‘fair’ but ‘robust’ operation on the day.

He said: "We are aware that large numbers of FC United fans are likely to travel to the game with Marine this Saturday, March 28.

"The team has a large following in itself, but the number of fans is likely to swell as there are no Premier League matches that weekend.

"We will have officers in attendance at a number of stations in Merseyside, as well as travelling on the trains, to monitor the fans as they make their way to and from the match.

He added: "As always we would urge supporters to be mindful of other passengers on the rail network when travelling to the games, especially on busy transport routes.

"We are hoping for a great day out for people who are attending the football, but we will be on hand to deal swiftly with any troublemakers and as always we hope the day will pass without incident.

"We will deal fairly but robustly with any disorder and will make arrests wherever trouble occurs and in every case where someone is arrested for a football related offence we will be seeking a banning order through the courts.

"Everyone has the right to use public transport in safety and we will do everything possible to ensure that this safety is not compromised because of the poor behaviour of a minority of individuals."