Chris Sutton and Robbie Savage astonished by what they saw unfold during West Brom vs Wolves
Chris Sutton and Robbie Savage have slammed the “appalling” and “terrible” scenes they saw unravel during the FA Cup tie between West Brom and Wolves.
The Baggies’ 2-0 FA Cup fourth-round loss to rivals Wolves on Sunday (28 January) was overshadowed by events late on in the contest at The Hawthorns.
Both sets of players were told to make their way down the tunnel after fan violence spilled over in one section of the ground, leading to a delay of more than half an hour before play resumed.
West Brom defender Kyle Bartley was seen lifting his child from the stands and did not re-emerge when the game restarted.
Reacting to the events on BBC Radio 5 Live’s 606 show [28 January, 17:05], Savage said: “This is terrible; it’s something nobody wants to see.
Sutton added: “Absolutely appalling scenes. I saw on social media that Kyle Bartley had to go into the stands and get his kid out.
“These are scenes going back to the 70s and 80s – absolute madness. It must have been terrifying if you were at the ground.
“I just think it’s so sad in this day and age, with all the excitement around the derby, you then have to think twice about whether you take your kids to games because of the possibility of it kicking off. It’s not on. It must be putting people off.”
Horrible scenes
The full fall-out from the scenes from in this cup tie will not be fully felt until the dust has settled. Thankfully, it does not appear that anyone suffered any life-threatening injuries.
That may seem hyperbolic, but already there are fan accounts emerging of parents saying they felt worried for their lives – and why wouldn’t they?
You can only imagine how scary it must have been for those who wanted nothing to do with the violence.
Away from the various fines and potentially more severe punishments both clubs face, you have to wonder how many of those in attendance will not bother coming again.
Given the occasion, many in the home stands would have been attending a game for the first time in a while. For some, it will be the last game in a while.
Unfortunately, West Brom and Wolves are now all over the news for the wrong reasons.
In other West Brom news, a journalist has shared an “interesting” transfer development from The Hawthorns.
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