Stewards hospitalised after droves of Crystal Palace fans try to force entry into Brighton's stadium ahead of Premier League match as police arrest six people including a child

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Two stewards were taken to hospital on Tuesday night after droves of Crystal Palace supporters were denied entry into the derby clash at Brighton.

A Brighton statement claimed ‘several’ stewards suffered minor injuries, while one from each club went to hospital after the incident outside the Falmer Stadium.

Palace supporters were furious on social media after claiming hundreds were prevented from getting in, but Brighton responded by saying a ‘minority came intent on causing disorder’.  

The large police presence in Brighton on Tuesday night - two stewards were taken to hospital after Crystal Palace fans were denied entry into Brighton's ground ahead of the game

Sussex Police were forced to escort fans without tickets (not pictured) back onto trains

That included some fans without tickets who tried to ‘force entry’ into the away end after kick-off, according to the club, before around 150 supporters, of which ‘some had tickets’, were escorted to trains back to London.

Six people including a child were arrested for a number offences including throwing missiles, abusive behaviour, breach of a banning order and homophobic abuse.

A Sussex Police spokesman described the operation as 'challenging', and said: ' By 11.30pm, six people had been arrested. 

'A 26-year-old man from South Croydon and a 15-year-old boy from Brighton were both arrested on suspicion of throwing or discharging a missile. 

'A 51-year-old man from Worthing and a 30-year-old man from Horley were both arrested on suspicion of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour. 

'A 45-year-old man from Portslade was arrested on suspicion of being a football spectator failing to comply with a banning order and a 41-year-old man from St Leonards-on-Sea was arrested on suspicion of homophobic abuse.'

Brighton Chief executive Paul Barber said: ‘The disorder was caused by a minority of individuals who attempted to gain entry to the stadium without tickets. 

There was criticism of the stewarding from a Brighton supporter on Twitter after the game. Crystal Palace fans are pictured at the game on the South Coast

‘Thanks to the swift action of the club’s stewarding team, supported by Sussex Police, we avoided further, major disorder - and while some genuine fans were left extremely disappointed and unable to get into the stadium, the correct decisions were made. 

‘I’d like to thank the majority of fans of both clubs for their good behaviour and patience in complying with the instructions of our stewards and police.’

A flare is set off inside the ground. None of the fans pictured are implicated in the disorder

The club statement alleged some fans attempted to force entry into the away end at 7.48pm - three minutes after the match kicked off. The club then made the decision to close the turnstiles at 7.51pm after consulting Sussex Police on safety grounds. 

A Brighton fan, Tim Holland, responded to his club’s statement on Twitter by posting: ‘That is an awful statement. The club, the Police and Southern Rail made an absolute dogs dinner of tonight’s game.’

Inside the ground, Palace fans frequently set off smoke bombs, which might well draw further attention from the FA, but the game itself failed to inspire, ending 0-0.