THE traditional Marymass clash between Irvine Meadow and Irvine Vics ended in chaos on Friday with crowd trouble and a pitch invasion.

Police were called to Meadow Park to sort out the trouble, though no arrests were reported.

In a statement issued this week Meadow apologised for what took place at their home ground when the two rival teams competed.

It read: “Irvine Meadow Football Club regret the crowd disturbance that happened at Meadow Park on Friday night at the Meadow/Vics Marymass Derby.

“There had never been any trouble at this fixture before but the club intend to review its crowd control at future games, working closely with the police.

“The club would like to apologise to the referee and his assistants and thank the police for their prompt handling of the situation.

“The individual has been identified and was ejected from the ground and will be banned.

“The club will also be meeting with the SJFA West region association.”

The club announced that there would be no further comment, as investigations into the proceedings continue.

Earlier, Meadow decided to reverse the controversial decision to allow alcohol to be served on the terraces.

The club would have been the first in Scotland to serve alcohol in the stands had they gone ahead with the move.

However, a club spokesman confirmed the decision had been revoked by the Ayrshire club’s board less than a week after they received permission.

Vice chairman Tom McFarlane said: “Having considered all of the implications, we decided not to go ahead with it.”

The rest of Marymass passed trouble free, according to police.
Officers in North Ayrshire were on duty all weekend, assisting with the celebrations in Irvine.

A spokesperson for Ayrshire Police Division commented: “It was fantastic to see a great number of people come out to see the parade and enjoy the festivities on The Moor.

“The rain didn’t dampen spirits and we’d like to thank everyone who took the time to speak with officers on patrol at the event.

“We had additional officers on duty in Irvine this evening - we hoped everyone enjoyed their night, and we encouraged them to make plans to get home safely, to drink responsibly.”