Disorder caused by fans around Brighton's match against Crystal Palace on Tuesday has been described as a 'return to the dark days of football' by Sussex Police.
Chief Inspector Simon Nelson, who led the policing operation for the fixture, described how 'groups of masked people' sought confrontation and supporters tried to gain entry to the Amex Stadium with 'pyrotechnics, knives and knuckledusters'.
Nelson also revealed that at one stage a large number of people, seemingly without tickets, over-ran turnstiles in the ground's south stand to force access to the away supporters' section.
