THE officer in charge of operations at the St Mary’s Stadium for the Saints v Pompey FA Cup tie in February told jurors he had not witnessed hatred on supporters faces like that for some time.

Acting Supt Gary Cooper, who has been involved in public order policing for more than 20 years, said it was one of the most difficult matches he had ever done.

He told Southampton Crown Court of his fear that if the “thin blue line” had not held home fans back behind fencing, it would have resulted in “a riot”.

Acting Supt Cooper said the atmosphere before the game was good-natured with lots of passion and verbal exchange between the fans was nothing more than he had previously experienced. Inside the ground, the atmosphere was “highly charged” but essentially good-natured.

Before the game ended, he went outside to check police officers and vans were in place and fencing had been erected outside the Freeborn garage to prevent rival fans from getting at each other and making Britannia Road off limits for home fans.

Hostile situation He described the hatred on the faces of Southampton supporters who congregated behind the fencing as “quite intense and something which I have not witnessed for some time”.

He described how he feared fencing poles would be used as weapons and saw a plastic chair, lumps of wood, stones and coins being thrown at the Portsmouth fans. Some of the missiles were thrown back “It was a very hostile situation and I felt that if we had not held them back behind that fencing, it would have been a complete riot between them," he said, praising the Portsmouth fans for their restraint.

“There was a thin blue line between us and both sets of supporters and it was a priority that the Southampton supporters did not get through the fencing and us. At one point, it was almost demolished.”

Supt Cooper said at one stage he took out his baton and struck the fence to keep them back, and called up reinforcements, which included mounted officers to clear the area.

He was giving the evidence in the trial of five men accused of violent disorder.

Michael Wilson, 28, of New Road, Netley Abbey; Timothy Osman, 49, of Cunard Avenue, Shirley, Southampton; Trevor Collins, 46, of Meggeson Avenue, Townhill Park, Southampton; Ross Phillips, 28, of Swift Road, Southampton, and Martyn Bishop, 43, of Wheatlands, Fareham, all deny the charge.

Proceeding