Crystal Palace condemn 'antisocial and criminal behaviour' of small group of supporters ahead of Brighton game

Crystal Palace have condemned the "antisocial and criminal behaviour" of a "small group of supporters" prior to the team's game with Brighton on Tuesday night.

The south London side have apologised to "innocent supporters" after a number of away fans with tickets were refused entry when Brighton were forced to close the turnstiles at 7.51pm - six minutes into the match which finished 0-0.

Two stewards were taken to hospital due to disorder at the game but have since been released; one sustained three broken ribs, while the second endured bruised ribs and other bruising.

A statement on the Crystal Palace website read: "We have been made aware of a small group of supporters attempting to gain access to the Amex stadium last night without tickets while using bangers and flares.

"This kind of antisocial and criminal behaviour is completely unacceptable and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms.

"There are very clear images of the incident and we will work with the police to identify the supporters involved, who will face stadium bans as well as potential criminal proceedings.

"We would like to apologise to all the innocent supporters who arrived at the stadium with tickets but were denied entry and to the two stewards who were injured at the ground. We wish them a full and speedy recovery."

Sky sources have been told the biggest concern for police last night was the number of Palace fans who turned up to the Amex Stadium without tickets, but intent on getting in to see the game.

Ray Wright, of the Crystal Palace Supporters' Trust, was amongst the 150-200 Palace contingent who were left outside the stadium following the disorder.

"We were held up by the police on a number of occasions so a lot of fans did not get to the entrances until kick-off time," he told Sky Sports News.

"It was true that about 30 young guys dressed in black with hoods and faces covered set off some smoke bombs then tried to get into the ground - whether they had tickets or not I don't know but that trouble was soon quelled by police, and about 150-200 ordinary Palace supporters were left outside with the doors closed.

"At 45 minutes outside the entrance, we were then slowly moved by police to the station. We spent the whole game at the stadium but outside."

We understand one emergency exit door was opened by away supporters from inside the ground just before kick-off, allowing fans without tickets to pour into the stadium, while others were seen rushing turnstiles in a bid to gain entry.

A police source - who was on duty and witnessed the events inside and outside the Amex stadium last night - told us: "A lot of Crystal Palace fans let their club down last night. As a result, a number of their fellow fans didn't get in to see the game.

"Last night was very challenging for us. We hoped the scenes we witnessed last night were a thing of the past.

"Packed crowds, pyrotechnics and explosions are not a good mix. Panic can spread very easily in these circumstances and you have to question the mentality of those hell-bent on causing trouble."

Police have made six arrests and are reviewing CCTV footage as part of their investigation, while the FA are liaising with the police and local authorities.

Crystal Palace have urged away supporters who attended Tuesday night's game and were unable to enter the Amex Stadium to contact them directly for a refund.

"Any supporters with legitimate, unscanned match tickets should email either a picture of the ticket, or the unique seven-digit ID number on the ticket, to boxoffice@cpfc.co.uk, together with their personal details, and arrangements will be made for a refund," said an official Palace statement.