Crawley Town bottle thrower comes forward and issues statement after Northampton incident

The Crawley Town supporter that threw a bottle at a match official during the club's League Two clash with Northampton Town has come forward.
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Following the 1-0 defeat to The Cobblers a plastic bottle was thrown from the West Stand towards the officials at full-time as they left the pitch and stuck one of the assistant referees.

The club were reported to the Football Association and after an appeal by the club the spectator concerned has come forward to admit responsibility.

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Reds have said that following discussions that also involved Sussex Police and their safety and security team, the supporter has been banned from attending their next three home fixtures and agreed to make a donation to the EFL’s charity partner Mind.

A statement from the supporter said: "I would like to put on record how sorry I am for the incident that occurred after the game against Northampton.

"I would firstly like to apologise to the official the bottle struck and I hope it has not had any damaging effect on him and hope it doesn’t in the future.

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"I would also like to apologise to the club and to all individuals as this has caused extra work. I understand how proud the club are of their good reputation and the reputation it has of welcoming families to the stadium. I hope my actions haven’t tarnished its good reputation.

"Lastly, I would like to apologise to all fans who were upset/angry by my actions. I can only explain that this happened due to being frustrated and upset but that this does in no way justifies how I behaved and again would I like to put on record that I am sorry.

"I am a passionate supporter but this came out in the wrong way. I love my club but this is no way to show it."

The Football Association have said they will not be taking any disciplinary action, but has warned that it may do so if there are reports of spectator misconduct in future.

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Reds operations Director Kelly Derham said: "It goes without saying that the club does not condone any actions which brings our good name into disrepute. Football ignited passions but, regardless of how we view what happens on the field, I would appeal to all our supporters to uphold the good name of the club on matchdays by behaving responsibly."