Sheepshanks: fans are credit to club

IPSWICH Town chairman David Sheepshanks today praised travelling Blues fans who were threatened by Leeds United thugs towards the end of Saturday's match.

Hundreds of fans spilled on to the Elland Road pitch and confronted the away supporters after striker Alan Lee netted a late equaliser which effectively relegated the Yorkshire club.

In a statement issued by the club this afternoon, Mr Sheepshanks condemned the ugly scenes but paid tribute to his own team's fans.

“I was there to witness a significant number of so called Leeds United supporters invade the Elland Road pitch on Saturday, hold up the match for 30 minutes and generally display aggressive intent and in some cases harm towards Ipswich Town fans and indeed our players,” he said.

“We utterly deplore what happened, as, it must be said, do the majority of Leeds United supporters, some of whom have even contacted us to express their regret.

“It was a stark reminder of a past era of football violence that I thought we had managed to leave behind in this country. It will now be a matter for the football authorities to investigate and take whatever action they see fit.

“However what concerns us most is the safety of our players and fans. All of us at Ipswich Town would like to pay tribute to the conduct of our supporters under extreme provocation. Once again they were a credit to themselves and the club. Our thoughts and best wishes are with those who were hurt as a result of what happened.

“I would also like to commend our players for their recognition of both what our own fans endured and their display of empathy for the sad plight of the real Leeds United fans who remained at the end of the game.”

See Tuesday's Evening Star for fans' reaction to Saturday's melee.