Here's my take on what happened towards the end of the MPG regarding the pitch invasion.
I don't condemn pitch invasions in context. The elation and emotion that fans feel when they witness their club winning a game that rests upon their future compels them to run on the pitch and hug the players and celebrate with them ......I'm ok with that, and I'm sure most people would agree because if we were in that situation we would most probably do the same .......End of season pitch invasions have always being the norm within team sports when the emotion of "We have done it" overcomes us ......I'm sure every fan can empathise and relate to that.
I'm sure that every Rovers fan can appreciate and understand the elation of the Salford fans regarding the pitch invasion at the end of 80 minutes and at the end of the Golden Point given the fact that they were condoling themselves with relegation a few minutes earlier ......They then invaded the pitch to celebrate with their players .......But then, unfortunately, the idiot contingency of the Salford fans decided to turn to the thousands of Hull KR supporters within the East Stand and flick them the "V's" and give the "Come on" signs and the idiot contingency of the East Stand duly responded .......And then the fights commenced.
And, I amazed that 10 or so police officers just congregated together on the pitch and just watched some Salford fans rip up the corner post and cause criminal damage and watched pockets of Rovers and Salford fans fight amongst themselves and do nothing. After the troubles there were only 2 arrests and one of these arrests was outside of the stadium!!!!! .......Really?!?! .......And when the East Stand started to sing in order to unite and let their feelings known regarding how they will support Rovers no matter what, the idiot contingency of the Salford fans on the pitch then decided to walk towards the East Stand, goading them, flicking the "V's" and doing the "come on" signs ......When this happened the police were no where to be seen and instead it was left to the stewards to form a human barrier to prevent the idiots getting close to the East Stand. These stewards were made up of young women and men who in no doubt didn't have the relevant training that the police officers had to put themselves between two potential violent groups, but they did so whilst the police just did what they did throughout the troubles post game ......They just stood and watched!
When Salford equalised and their fans invaded the pitch through jubilation and celebration, I noticed one idiot fan in a Canberra shirt ran on the pitch and chased a Salford fan to beat him up ......He eventually caught up with the Salford fan near the posts and started a fight with him right in front of a few young bains .......These bains would have had a fantastic memory of jumping up and down with the Salford players and fans whilst celebrating their dramatic come back and eventual win for the rest of their life, but, unfortunately, I'm sure that their memory is now tainted with violence and shock .......I hope that Hull KR identify this idiot in the green Canberra shirt and ban him for life .....He's a disgrace!
After the game I was chatting with a Salford fan (When I watched the game back on Sky I noticed that he was the one who offered his commiserations to Shaun Lunt) .......We talked about the amount of Salford support that came across for this game .......We joked that there was more Salford fans at this game then there has been at all the home games of Salford all season.......We joked that Man Utd and City didn't have a game that day and that the hooligan element of these football teams may have taken the opportunity to do what they want to do .......He told us that he was going to call out anyone on his coach that didn't support his club week in week out .......God bless that man, a true rugby league supporter and a credit to the Salford Red Devils.
