Tonight’s Hellenic League Division One West play-off final between Stonehouse Town and Malmesbury Town was briefly suspended following a crowd incident at the Ben’s Takeaway Stadium.
Kick-off was delayed by 15 minutes due to high attendance, before a disturbance broke out in the Lane End terrace around the 30-minute mark. The referee halted play for over five minutes while order was restored in a crowd of more than 600.
An eyewitness told the Stroud Times: “It all kicked off in the Lane End behind the goal, cans of beer being launched about. Malmesbury subs ran up to calm it down and the game is back on.”
Club officials responded quickly, allowing the match to resume safely.
Update: Heartbreak for Stonehouse Town as a stoppage-time penalty from Joe Hughes saw Malmesbury Victoria snatch victory and promotion in a dramatic Hellenic League Division One West play-off final.
The match was further marred at the final whistle when supporters threw beer cans at the Malmesbury players as they celebrated in front of the Lane End terrace. Some players reacted by throwing the cans back into the crowd.
