Hooliganism at Aston Villa revisited as Maccabi Tel Aviv fans banned – Battle of Rocky Lane and European lock-out
Aston Villa fans have had some moments to forget in years gone by.
Villa are an iconic club and have had some iconic players, but sometimes supporters can let themselves down.
As the Villans look ahead to their next Europa League clash at Villa Park, Maccabi Tel Aviv are central to a massive controversy.
Keir Starmer has been left fuming by Villa after it was confirmed that the Israeli side wouldn’t be allowed away fans for the upcoming clash in B6.
The decision of the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) and the West Midlands Police has caused a stir, prompting Villa News to assess prior fan disruptions in the Midlands.
West Brom fans threw seats after FA Cup defeat
West Brom and Villa are local rivals and have had their fair share of dramatic and tense moments over the years.
Tammy Abraham’s penalty at The Hawthorns helped the claret and blue outfit on their way to promotion in 2019, four years after a hugely controversial clash at Villa Park.
In the sixth round of the FA Cup in March 2015, the winner knew that a place in the semi-final at Wembley was up for grabs.
Goals from Fabian Delph and Scott Sinclair sent the home side to the capital, but not after a pitch invasion, which was met with hugely negative reviews from elsewhere.
Villa fans entered the field of play minutes before the final whistle, which can’t be excused, but the actions of the Baggies faithful largely flew under the radar.
The travelling supporters ripped seats out of the Doug Ellis Stand and launched them towards the pitch, where celebrating home fans were present.
Legia Warsaw fans locked out of Villa Park
Legia supporters weren’t allowed into Villa Park as the sides faced off in the Conference League group stage back in 2023.
Despite having a ticket allocation of just 800, closer to 3000 fans turned up on the streets of Witton demanding they be let into the stadium.
Their request was unsurprisingly denied and resulted in them being locked in a car park after showcasing violence towards police and home fans in B6.
The Warsaw faithful did eventually escape and made their way around the ground before launching condiments, among other projectiles, into the Holte End.
It was the actions of supporters travelling without tickets and being violent that caused problems, despite their belief that they had been hard done by in the Midlands.
The Battle of Rocky Lane ended in 15 arrests
Hooligan culture truly isn’t a big part of the matchday experience at Villa Park, as the feeling between fans is generally positive and friendly.
That hasn’t always been the case, as a sizable number of arrests were made after what came to be described as “The Battle of Rocky Lane”.
Before a second city derby clash in September 2002, Aston Villa and Birmingham City fans brawled in the Rocky Lane area of Aston.
This fight took place just under three miles away from the ground and ended with a series of dawn raids as those found responsible for the disorder were reprimanded.
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