Page 143 - Once a copper 10 03 2020

instinct told me to grab the bloke with the blade and I lunged toward the
arm holding the weapon. The next I knew it felt like the right side of my head
had exploded as I was struck a ferocious blow with a piece of wood that hit
me square across my ear, knocking, to the floor. I was out of it, dazed in a
heap on the floor from the impact. I was told later that it was like a domino
effect, one after another of the colleagues behind me taking a pasting from
the angry mob.

The whole incident had been witnessed
on camera in the police control room
and a couple of serials of the OSU
(Operational Support Unit) previously
known as the Special Patrol Group
(SPG) riot police were despatched to
pull us to safety. How we were
extracted I couldn’t say as I was dazed
and semi-conscious. I just remember
‘coming to’ on the pitch, on the right Figure 61 Riot Officers wresting for control
side of the teams that had rescued us.
By now, the game had been stopped with mounted officers and their horses
joining the OSU on the pitch restoring a welcome albeit temporary sense of
calm.

As we made our way to the medical room for treatment, one of the OSU
officers who had been a mate at our station came up to me and said
“Fucking hell Bennett that’s a belter of a cauliflower you’ve got mate” He
was referring to my ear which had swollen to twice its usual size and was now
beetroot red. ”What the fuck were you lot doing in between that load of
bastards?” he asked. “Fuck all to do with me mate, it was that twat of a
Gaffer” I said, realising too late that the ‘twat of a gaffer’ was walking a few
paces behind me and heard every word. Fortunately for me, I escaped
disciplinary action for my disrespect. The look on his face told us all that he
knew he had placed us all in unnecessary danger.

I was to buy my rescuer mate plenty of beers by way of a thank you over the
coming weeks.

After being treated in the medical room, violence re-erupted from both sets
of fans trying to get at each other. We saw officers being escorted into the
medical room with injuries they had received from sharpened coins and
other missiles thrown from the crowd.

When the final whistle was blown signalling the end of the game, this was not
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the end of the violence.