Woman injured by flare at Stourbridge v Halesowen
A woman in her 60s was hit in the throat by a flare thrown during the non-league clash between Stourbridge and Halesowen.
Two flares were launched during the game on Saturday afternoon - the first blue and the second red - during Non-League Day 2017.
A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: “We received reports a woman was hit by a smoke bomb at the game between Stourbridge and Halesowen.
“The woman, aged in her 60s and in the away end, suffered bruising to the throat.”
The blue flare was said to have been released around seven minutes into the game following the first goal by Halesowen’s Daniel Udoh.
The red flare was released around 60 minutes in after Stourbridge’s Ryan Rowe scored. It is not clear which hit the supporter.
An announcement was made on the speaker that the culprits would be removed from the ground.
Last year, Stourbridge issued a statement condemning an act of stupidity after a flare found its way onto the pitch during the club’s FA Cup clash with Northampton Town in December, which resulted in a fine from the FA.
Then in January this year another flare was thrown during the club’s defeat to Wycombe Wanderers in the cup.
It was one of the biggest games ever for the club as it was the first time Stourbridge reached the third round in their 141-year history.
The game on the weekend saw Stourbridge defeated 2-1 in the game known as the Number Nine Derby, referring to the bus route linking the two towns.
Anyone with information is advised to call police 101, quoting crime reference number 20DY/214533L/17.
