POLICE tactics following Sheffield United's game against Cardiff City have been criticised by away fans whose coach was showered with bottles, bar stools and glasses.
They came under attack as they left Bramall Lane and made their way to their coach parked outside the nearby Railway pub.
Angry Cardiff fans claim the missiles shattered a window, covering people in shards of glass.
Sheffield United fans say th
ey were retaliating after Cardiff fans threw objects at them first as they sat in the pub's beer garden with their children.
Gareth Thomas, aged 49, who organised the coach trip to Sheffield, said one of the fans needed stitches to his head after he was hit in the missile attack.
He criticised South Yorkshire Police for arranging for their coach to be parked outside a pub popular with Blades fans, claiming it was "a sitting duck".
Mr Thomas said: "The police totally lost it. It was absolute chaos.
"It was a shambles and it is really down to the way the South Yorkshire Police handled it. To be honest we are more worried about South Yorkshire Police than the fans whenever we have to travel north."
A South Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said CCTV footage was being examined to establish the circumstances surrounding the coach attack.
She added: "After a successful and enjoyable match, the actions of a minority of senseless fans from both sides sought to ruin the experience of decent loyal fans.
"Officers responded to a difficult situation with great restraint and quickly brought it under control.
- Three Cardiff fans are due to appear at Sheffield Magistrates' Court, two charged with public order offences and one with criminal damage.
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FeaturesMore Rotherham newsMore Doncaster newsMore Barnsley newsCheck out the very latest on South Yorkshire's roads - including live traffic cameras on Sheffield's commuter routes - with our Traffic sectionLatest sport. The full article contains 325 words and appears in Sheffield Star newspaper.
