Aborted cup tie security defended

Nottingham Forest and the police have defended security arrangements after isolated fights at the Carling Cup match against Leicester City.

The City Ground tie was abandoned after Leicester City defender Clive Clarke suffered heart failure at half-time.

Some fans said they did not understand why the game had been stopped.

The police defended their decision not to hold fans back in the ground, saying it would have been more dangerous to have kept them penned in.

Ch Insp Steve Haylett, who was in charge of policing the game, said: "There were plans in place to keep the supporters separate but we don't hold supporters back in the ground.

"That has proved dangerous in the past because supporters don't like being kept in confined areas for that length of time."

And in a statement Nottingham Forest said there was an isolated incident inside the City Ground itself, which was "dealt with swiftly and effectively by the police and our security personnel".