A FULL dustbin was thrown on to the pitch during an East Lancashire cup-tie derby.
Bosses at Darwen and Bacup Borough football clubs said that frustrations were running high during their third round League Challenge Cup fixture at West View after a Darwen player was shown a red card.
Darwen manager Kenny Langford said fans were ‘so annoyed’ by some of the decisions made by referee Richard Bartlett.
He said: “It was an emotional game to say the least.
“There was a dustbin thrown on the pitch, although it was not aimed at the players.
“It is not something we condone and I think it was directed at the referee as a gesture of how rubbish some of the decisions were.”
Darwen centre half Matthew Taylor was sent off early in the second half after being shown a second yellow card.
Bacup manager Brent Peters said after the dustbin was thrown, a Darwen player began arguing with some spectators behind the goal before the ‘Bin Man’ was escorted off the ground by a Bacup player’s mum.
He said: “These things happen in games, so I am making light of the incident.
“People take their frustrations out in different ways, especially if things are not going well for the team.
“From a neutral point of view, the game had everything.
“Both on and off the pitch, it was well worth every bit of the £6 admission.”
Around 100 people were at the game to witness Bacup win 1-0 with a 73rd minute strike from Shane Birtles.
They will now face Formby at home in the quarter-finals in March.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article