Northamptonshire Police make eight football related arrests during afternoon of MK Dons visit to Northampton Town

One arrest made was for pitch encroachment

Of the eight, seven had travelled to support MK Dons, while one was a Cobblers fan.

Four arrests were for public order offences, one for criminal damage, one for pitch encroachment, one for obstructing the police and one for affray.

Northamptonshire Police superintendent Chris Hillery, the head of local policing, said: “We had an extensive policing operation in place on Saturday ahead of Northampton Town’s match against MK Dons.

“We know local rivalries can run high and had also received information that so-called ‘supporters’ of each team were planning to meet in the town centre ahead of the match in order to commit violence.

“Officers were deployed to the area and were able to keep the two opposing groups apart in a bid to prevent disorder between them, dispersing them away from the town centre."

VIDEO: Football fan falls to ground in altercation with police in Northampton town centre