A mass confrontation between players and officials from Gloucester City and Worcester City marred the Severn derby in the Skrill North last night.
Gloucester took a first-half lead courtesy of an own goal and Scott Wilson doubled their advantage early in the second period.
Worcester pulled one back through a bullet headed from George Williams and shortly after the game took an unsavoury turn.
Tigers captain Matt Coupe and City’s Shabir Khan confronted one another and both were shown red cards by the referee.
Coupe received treatment on the touchline after being injured during the initial clash and the pair came together again as Khan left the pitch.
Their dispute continued down the tunnel and members of both sides and their management staffs joined the melee.
Order was eventually restored and referee Mr D’Aguillar then invited both managers to address their sides to try and ensure no further nonsense.
The rest of the game was played out without incident, Gloucester holding on to their one-goal advantage to take all three points.
Gloucester chairman Nigel Hughes subsequently released the following statement regarding the violent scenes at Whaddon Road.
“The board condemns the actions of a number of players and staff from both clubs which took place during the second half of the fixture,” the statement said.
“The behaviour and lack of self discipline on display was totally unacceptable.
“Gloucester City will be dealing internally with this matter and apologise unreservedly for the behaviour demonstrated. The management board will not make any further statement publicly but confirm strong action will follow.”
