Worthing man charged with assaulting a steward during Brighton and Hove Albion vs. Aston Villa match

Sussex Police said 28-year-old Thomas Carter, a gas fitter of Coleridge Close in Goring, was charged with assaulting a club steward by beating at the Amex Stadium during the match against Aston Villa.

The steward received medical attention for minor injuries, police said.

John McAuliffe, a 51-year-old carpenter from The Ridgeway, New End in Redditch has also been charged under the football offences act with setting off a flare, added police.

Both men are due to appear at Brighton Magistrates' Court on February 6.

Police said a man aged 23 and a 17-year-old boy have also been identified in relation to separate incidents - one in which water from a bottle was thrown at other fans and another in which a flare was thrown onto the pitch during the game.

Police are also investigating a reported assault on a 56-year-old man from Bedford just outside the stadium as he was leaving after the match, in which he received cuts and bruises. No arrests have been made.

PC Darren Balkham, the force's Football Liaison Officer, said: "We worked in close co-operation with the club and safety stewards to ensure these isolated incidents were safely and effectively dealt with and enquiries are continuing where necessary. They didn't reflect the superb support from over 99 per cent of fans from both clubs."

The match was attended by 30,500 people.