SHOCKED Burnley fans dived for cover when hooligans opened fire on their coach on the way to the crunch game at Cardiff.

The fans were on a coach organised by Accrington Clarets and were under police escort as they approached the Welsh capital on Saturday.

The attack took place on a dual carriageway on the outskirts of Cardiff just 50 minutes before kick-off.

A window on the coach, which was transporting fans of all ages, was shattered.

Police are still trying to discover what kind of weapon was used.

Police took extra precautions before the game and were expecting trouble after threats had been posted on the internet by hooligans.

Phil Miller, chairman of Accrington Clarets, organised the trip and was on the coach when it came under fire.

He said: "Cardiff fans have a bad reputation and you expect trouble when you go there. You expect bricks to be thrown at the coach but nothing like this.

"Because we have a lot of families and young children we followed all the advice and met up with the police at a service station outside Cardiff.

"We were travelling along a dual carriageway in a convoy with a police escort when the attack happened.

"Someone said they saw two men in a field at the side of the road suddenly stand up and point something at the coach.

"The next thing one of the windows shattered and it all got a bit panicky. "For them to break the window from that distance I am sure they must have been using something more powerful than an air gun."

He added: "A police outrider saw what happened and he waved at the coach driver to keep going. We got the children away from the windows but we were all very nervous for the rest of the day.

"When we got to the game we told the nearest police officer and he said the helicopter would be used to search the area."

"We know Cardiff fans have a terrible reputation but we were stunned someone could do something as stupid as this.

"If they had hit a car they could have quite easily have killed somebody. We were all a bit shocked by what had happened."

Alan Beecroft, treasurer of Colne Clarets who was on another coach, said: "We saw the police helicopter circling over some woods by the side of the road. The coaches just kept going and it wasn't until we reached the ground and got talking with other fans that we realised what had happened.

"The whole police operation for the match was massive. I've never seen so many police officers before. There was an enormous police presence at the railway station as well." A spokesman for Burnley-based Viscount Central, the firm which owns the coach, confirmed the vehicle had been damaged.

Superintendent Neil Jellings, of South Wales Police, said: "We are aware of the incident and officers have been investigating.

"It is believed that some sort of weapon was used but we are still not sure whether it was connected to the football match."

He added: "Because of the nature of the match there was a heavy police presence which thankfully kept trouble to a minimum.

"We also had intelligence that there could be some trouble so we were well prepared and in the end there were around 13 arrests. As far as I am aware no Burnley supporters were arrested, they were all local people."

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