Nick Cruwys attack: Witness describes violence against Watford fans
A witness has described the terrifying moment two Watford supporters were attacked by yobs as families walked away from Molineux.
The Hornets fan, who did not want to be named, said some of their fellow supporters were singing as they left the ground, "nothing offensive, something like 'we are going up'."
But they said a Wolves supporter began shouting aggressively at them and was told in response to calm down and 'it is only a game'.
Click to donate to the fundraising appeal for Mr Cruwys.
They continued that 'out of nowhere' another Wolves fan then shouted that he 'hated Cockneys' before attacking a young Watford supporter.
An older Hornets fan was then punched by another man.
The witness said they were not 100 per cent sure it was the same attack which has left 44-year-old Nick Cruwys fighting for his life but they believed it was.
The Express & Star today offered a £1,000 reward to track down those behind the attack.
The Watford supporter said they fled the scene fearing for their safety.
"As we walked out the ground around 5pm, a few of the Watford fans were singing - nothing offensive, something like 'we are going up'," they said.
"Then an older man, Wolves supporter, in a black coat started shouting at them in an aggressive tone. A young Watford fan, in his 20s, told him to calm down, saying 'it is only a game', but the Wolves fan kept going on shouting at him.
"Then out of nowhere I saw a young Wolves fan, maybe 18 or 19, shout 'I ******* hate you cockneys. He then attacked the young Watford fan.
"I turned around and saw a Wolves fan in a grey hoodie run up and punch an older Watford fan, who was wearing a black cardigan.
"At this point, I was more interested in getting my daughter out of there - as were the other parents.
"One thing that I was left wondering was 'where were the police?'. I do not recall seeing one officer and where the away fans meet home fans, there should have been a few to keep the peace.
"There were plenty of young children, as well as my daughter, who saw this incident.
"I am not sure if this is the incident the police are looking at, but this is what I saw outside the ground. It felt to me that the Wolves fans were waiting outside for trouble."
In response to the brutal attack, a fundraising campaign was set up by teenager and Wolves fan Ollie Floyd, who lives in Hemel Hempstead, with the intention of paying for Mr Cruwys' Watford tickets and expenses for years to come.
The 16-year-old only hoped to raise around £1,000, but at the time of going to press more than £14,000 had been donated by more than 1,000 people. Ollie said the website was set up to restore the community's faith in football and would speak much louder than 'the cowards that attacked Nick'.
Schoolboy Ollie, who has family in the Wightwick area of Wolverhampton, said he started the fund after hearing about the incident on Sunday morning.
"I was shocked," Ollie, who was at Saturday's game and returned home to Hemel Hempstead on the train later that night, said.
"It is such a terrible thing to happen. Those responsible behaved disgracefully, but I wanted to raise some money to show that the majority of football fans can speak louder than the cowards who attacked Nick.
"I thought £1,000 might be possible but the response has been overwhelming. It's amazing that so many people would contribute."
