Mass brawl forces referee to abandon Hull City Under 23s match against Millwall

Hull City's under-23s clash with Millwall was abandoned yesterday after an ugly brawl erupted between the two teams.
Hull CityHull City
Hull City

City were leading 2-1 inside the final stages at North Ferriby's Grange Lane Stadium when 22 players were involved in a fight on the half-way line.

Referee Simon Mather brought an early end to proceedings despite protests from both coaching teams.

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"The referee's reasons for abandoning the game was that there was acts of violent conduct and he couldn't identify who the players involved were, so he wasn't prepared to carry on the game," Hull academy boss Jon Beale told the Hull Daily Mail.

"I even told him who the two main culprits were. One was ours and one was theirs. I suggested sending them both off so we could finish the game but he was having none of it.

Hull sit second in the Premier League's professional development league and are fighting for promotion alongside Crewe Alexandra, Bolton Wanderers and Sheffield United.

Beale added: "I'm hopeful the result will stand but it will depend on what action the league take. They'll want to see the footage and the reasons why he's abandoned it."

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"I've got to be careful what I say but I don't think the referee has controlled the game very well. He's let a few things go that he should have dealt with and it's escalated."

Millwall had taken the lead through Jalen Jones' first-half goal but a Ben Hinchcliffe finish and Jarrod Bowen's penalty turned the match around for Hull.