Fighting After Derby

Last updated : 24 October 2005 By Footy Mad - Editor

It was down the Bigg Market and nowhere near St James' Park. Apparently officers were geared up for organised violence between rival hooligan factions Newcastle Gremlins and Seaburn Casuals following intelligence before the Newcastle v Sunderland game. But no Sunderland fans were involved in the trouble after the game.

56 arrests were made after the game when drunken Newcastle supporters started fighting each other and the police. Two city centre streets leading to the Bigg Market had to be closed off and pubs in Tynemouth shut early as trouble also flared there.

Chief Insp Kevin Wellden of Newcastle command area said today: "There were hundreds of supporters in the city centre but not all of them had been to the game, some had come in to drink. Binge drinking was a key element to the clashes which started at around 7.20pm, long after the Sunderland fans had left the city. People had been drinking early on Sunday, went to the match and carried on drinking after the game. And there were others who just came into the city to drink while the game was on.

"There were 50 arrests for drunken and public order offences in the Bigg Market area, which involved some 200 to 300 people in the melee. We did bring in reinforcements as part of our contingency plans and it took some time to quell the situation, involving closing off Grainger and Newgate streets. However, there were no organised clashes with Sunderland supporters. This was binge drinking leading to fighting.

"There were six arrests before, during and after the game in and around the ground. One of those was for domestic violence between a couple. There was some damage to a coach window after a brick was hurled at it. The coach was supposed to turn away on the designated route for the Sunderland supporters and took the wrong turning into the city. We believe an idiot element of rival fans spotted the Sunderland coach and threw a brick at it."