March 24 – Like Lambs to the Slaughter

CREATIVE missiles are usually the plaything of continental fans, whether it’s a pigs head being flung at Luis Figo or scooters being flung around the stadium by Inter Milan fans.

Today however, in 2008 Irish side Ballymena United came up with a novel way vent their frustrations when a leg of lamb was thrown on the pitch.

Ballymena were taking on Lisburn Distillery in a bad-tempered Irish Premier League match that really kicked off when Nathan McConnell scored an equaliser for Distillery in the ninth minute of added-on time.

The referee had sent off two United players, and to further wind up the home crowd had denied them a penalty and red card for Distillery goalkeeper Philip Matthews.

The game finished 2-2 and ugly scenes followed the final whistle, with players brawling and the crowd getting their weapons ready.

In addition to the some poor housewife’s Sunday joint of lamb, a chair found it’s way onto the pitch, as did a number of bottles.

Referee Mark Courtney and his assistants had to wait on the pitch for almost 15 minutes after the final whistle as they waited for police vehicles to surround the pitch.

The players, meanwhile, continued to jostle in the tunnel, as the whole event turned into farce.

“It doesn’t portray a good image of the game in Northern Ireland,” understated IFA chief executive Howard Well.

Next up to vent their spleen was animal welfare charity USPCA who were still fuming from a recent incident that saw a horse’s head left outside the home of a hockey player in Cookstown, Godfather style.

Check out some action from the game below and see if you can spot anyone that’s smuggled a mutton-shaped missile let us know. There was a lot more integrity in another story from today which you can read here, so have a gander and join us tomorrow for more of the same.