#2 Chris Kirkland (October 2012)
Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper, Chris Kirkland, was attacked by a Leeds fan during a heated Yorkshire derby at Hillsborough. The atmosphere was toxic with fans in the crowd also ripping up seats and directing abusive chants at the players.
Neil Warnock, the manager of Leeds at the time was embarrassed by the behaviour of his own fans.
The 21-year-old fan Aaron Cawley pleaded guilty to assault and invading the pitch. He was ordered to pay £85 costs and given a six-year banning order. Cawley apparently told officers he had drunk a number of cans of lager, followed by three-quarters of a litre of vodka and topped it off with seven to ten pints of cider. He said he only realised what he had done when he saw himself on TV.
(Video Courtesy: mattijn11)
“I felt embarrassed to be a manager when I saw that. It was an absolute disgrace. They should get the guy and prosecute him and put him in prison. He (Kirkland) went down like a ton of bricks but that doesn’t make a difference. Nobody should be on the pitch doing that. That moron has spoiled everything for everyone. I am not proud of being Leeds manager when I see that. I am absolutely embarrassed. They had enough security, but if a person like him with a five-year-old mentality wants to get on, they can’t stop him.”
