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Discipline boss thrown out of Bloomfield Road
A BLACKPOOL FC fan wrestled out of the ground after a pitchside rant is the discipline officer of a local football league.
Shocked fans looked on as Dave Hall, discipline secretary for the Blackpool Sunday Alliance, was muscled out of Bloomfield Road on Saturday after he ran from his seat to launch a verbal attack on
former Pool ace Richie Wellens.
The incident happened during Saturday's 3-2 home defeat by Doncaster when Wellens was involved in a clash with Pool's new signing, Charlie Adam.
Some Pool fans raced to the pitchside to berate their former-hero.
Stewards felt Mr Hall's actions were so over-the-top, they forcibly ejected him.
Club officials are now in the process of banning Mr Hall – a Seasiders' fan of 50 years – while Sunday Alliance bosses are to meet to discuss the situation.
>> Wellens slams abuse from Pool fans
An apologetic Mr Hall said: "It was a regrettable incident and it was wrong of me to run all that way to shout at him.
"I've written a letter of apology to the club and hopefully they will be a bit lenient. I feel strongly the steward behaved in an extremely over-zealous manner.
"I've considered my position on the committee, but I've not heard from Peter Collins (league secretary) so I'm not sure what the feelings are."
League secretary Mr Collins said: "We'll have a meeting where we'll discuss everything which has gone on and speak to Dave before we make a decision on whether to take any action."
One Sunday Alliance player, who asked not to be named, told The Gazette: "It's a bit rich the man who hands out the fines and is supposed to be encouraging fair play then gets dragged out of the ground.
"I'd imagine there were hundreds of amateur players in the stands who were looking on and thinking it was one rule for one and another for others.
"I've always thought Dave's an alright guy and it's just a shame he had to lose control like that. Lots of people recognised him."
PC Ian Berry, of Blackpool Police, said: "There was one man who was escorted out by the stewards and thrown out of the ground. It was probably dealt with in the right way in the end but he was risking being arrested."
A club spokesman confirmed two people would receive bans following Saturday's game.
The heated scenes were the latest involving Wellens, who played for Pool for five years.
The player himself today told The Gazette: "I think this has run its course. The first time I went back you expect it and maybe a little bit the second time. But I think they've just got to let it go now.
"Some of the things that people were saying to me, I don't think is on.
"When people are holding five-year-old kids in their hands and shouting abuse, I don't think it is right. Fully grown men with kids were shouting abuse."
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Weather for Blackpool
Thursday 24 May 2012
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