The FAI, League of Ireland and Longford Town FC have condemned the behaviour of a section of the travelling Bray Wanderers support at Friday night’s SSE Aitricity League Division game at Bishopsgate.
Flares and missiles were thrown on to the pitch and stewards attacked, with photographs released on social media showing damage to seats in the away section.
Longford Town released a statement to say they are assisting the Garda with their investigations into the trouble.
“Longford Town Football Club wishes to condemn the actions of a number of supporters in the away section who caused crowd disturbances last night during the Longford Town v Bray Wanderers match at Bishopsgate.
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“In the first half, a group of individuals launched a number of missiles including flares onto the pitch area, narrowly missing our goalkeeper Luke Dennison. In the second half, the same group became verbally abusive towards our stewards and supporters before our stewards were assaulted with a number of objects. Seats and fencing were destroyed Other missiles were launched at supporters and stewards and towards the pitch area. A number of individuals were ejected from the ground.
“Our stewards are all volunteers who give up their time to support our club on match nights and have gone through extensive training for situations like last night. We wish to acknowledge the brilliant work carried out by our stewards and thank them for their professionalism throughout.
“We would also like to thank the Gardaí for their swift response in dealing with the situation. The club understands that this is now under Gardaí investigation and we will work closely with the relevant authorities to identify those involved and carry out any actions deemed appropriate.”
The League of Ireland and the FAI released a joint statement condemning the actions of those involved.
“The League of Ireland and the FAI strongly condemn the behaviour of a small number of spectators in the away section at the Longford Town v Bray Wanderers game on Friday night.
We are now working closely with the Gardaí and both clubs to ensure those responsible are held accountable for their actions. The FAI has a zero-tolerance policy towards this type of behaviour and will take further action once the Garda investigations are concluded.
The safety of all players, fans and stewards is of paramount importance to the League of Ireland and the FAI.
The game finished 1-1.
