AT LEAST ONE person was arrested in connection with crowd trouble in Derry last night following a tense soccer match in the city.
Tempers were high during the Setanta Sports Cup match between Derry City and Linfield, with away fans understood to have damaged walls segregating them from the home crowd on the way out of the game.
Missiles had been thrown by opposing factions of fans during the match, with at least one arrest made.
Later, missiles were thrown at buses carrying Linfield fans as they left the Brandywell area of the city, with damage caused to two buses. Other Linfield fans are reported to have claimed that Derry supporters spat on them as they left the area.
The PSNI this morning said follow-up enquiries would be made in relation to the public disorder, and urged anyone with information about any of the incidents to contact local police at 0845 600 8000 or to call Crimestoppers anonymously at 0800 555 111.
Derry City won last night’s match 3-1, winning the tie 4-2 on aggregate.
Last night’s affairs were in deep contrast to the first leg of the tie two weeks ago, which had marked the first official visit to Windsor Park by the North’s Deputy First Minister and Derry City supporter Martin McGuinness.
The Setanta Sports Cup is a cross-border tournament featuring sides from the southern Airtricity League and the northern IFA Premiership. Though being based north of the border, Derry play in the League of Ireland, with the Brandywell stadium being located in a staunchly republican area of the city.
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