BOSSES at Ewood Park today said that four young fans who were ejected from the away terrace after Blackburn Rovers' winning goal at Stockport on Saturday will not be banned from home matches.

A 14-year-old, two 13-year-olds and an 11-year-old were escorted away by stewards after they ran on to the pitch after Jason McAteer's winning goal.

But Ewood bosses said there was no prospect of them being banned from home matches as punishment.

Two other Rovers fans, a 35-year-old and a 20-year-old, were also ejected from the ground.

Stockport County Club Secretary Gary Glendenning refused to name the youngsters, but said: "We kept the four teenagers behind in the ground as they had travelled down on the train without their parents.

"We have very close links with Blackburn Rovers and will be passing the youngsters' names on to the club.

The incidents caused a furore among Rovers supporters who jeered and shouted at stewards.

No other trouble was reported at the match and Greater Manchester Police said no arrests were made.

John Newsham, ground safety officer at Ewood, said: "A ban is not the way this will be dealt with because no regulations at Ewood have been violated. But this is not the kind of behaviour we expect of our fans either at home or away."

Pauline Perkins of the Rovers Supporters Association saw the incident. She said: "The youngsters weren't really manhandled although they were frogmarched away. I have some sympathy with them because it was a dramatic late goal, but rules are rules and everybody knows fans are not allowed on the pitch."

Two young fans are pictured being marched from the ground.

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