- Late penalty sparks heated confrontation
- Pitch-invading fan clashes with Ipswich player
- Ipswich files formal complaint over incident
Just shy of the hour mark, Jay Stansfield found space inside the box and fired home to give Birmingham a deserved 1–0 lead. For long stretches, it appeared the hosts would see out a routine win to start their season on a high. That was until the match entered added time, when referee Andrew Kitchen decided to award Ipswich a penalty after he spotted an infringement inside the box.
George Hirst, stepping up under intense pressure, showed remarkable composure to slot the ball past Ryan Allsop, silencing the home support and salvaging a point for the Tractor Boys. The Scotland international turned toward the home end and gestured at the Birmingham supporters as he celebrated, a move that provoked outrage among the fans behind the goal. Blues defender Christoph Klarer immediately rushed toward Hirst’s group, quickly squaring up to Ipswich’s Conor Chaplin. The confrontation drew in players from both teams as tempers flared, leading to a scuffle near the goalmouth.
While team-mates and officials attempted to defuse the situation, the incident took a worrying turn when a Birmingham supporter breached the barrier and ran toward the pitch. The individual made contact with Ipswich defender Dara O’Shea before a steward intervened, tackling him to the ground. To add to the disorder, a bottle was thrown from the stands onto the playing surface that disrupted play for several minutes before officials regained control.
Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna confirmed that the pitchside incident had been reported to the relevant authorities.
“Jack’s all right,” he said. “It’s obviously not ideal. It has been reported and the authorities will deal with it.”
Whereas, Birmingham boss Chris Davies claimed he had not seen the pitch invasion and was therefore unable to comment. However, he voiced frustration over what he perceived as provocative celebrations from the opposition.
“I don’t know anything about that so I can’t comment on whether that’s happened or not,” he said. “All I saw was one of their players run up and smash the ball into our fans, which you don’t want. Then there was a bit of a mêlée, that’s all I’ve seen really.”
Birmingham face a quick turnaround, returning to St Andrew’s on Wednesday for a Carabao Cup first-round clash with Sheffield United. Ipswich, meanwhile, will travel to Bromley on the same day.
