Following Saturday's League One clash between Bristol Rovers and Walsall, which saw the Saddlers slip to a late defeat as Ollie Clarke's 86th minute strike secured all three points for his side, Pirates Safety Officer Dave Parker has released a statement confirming that five Gasheads were removed from the ground for a variety of offences including directing a racist comment towards an unnamed Walsall player.
In a statement, which was published via bristolrovers.co.uk, Mr Parker confirms that an as yet unnamed Walsall player was the target of racial abuse, he states; "Sadly there were five supporters ejected from our game on Saturday, which does a disservice to and lets down, the vast majority of our loyal and well-behaved fans.
"All were from the North Terrace, one being for being drunk and incapable, three for consuming drugs and the last one for allegedly making a racist comment towards a Walsall player. Clearly, the Club is doing its very best to eradicate such poor behaviour and to be fair, of those ejected four were not season ticket holders and rest assured they will not be allowed back.
"The alleged racist incident was brought to my attention by a couple of long term fans, who were understandably shocked. However, their accompanying evidence made my job much easier and so I was able to hand some decent evidence over to the police who are processing it.
"Everyone at the Club wishes to reassure fans that any such incidents are treated very seriously and can be reported by telling a steward or emailing [email protected] and a mobile text number is being sourced."