NEWCASTLE United has pledged to pay for damage caused by ‘hooligan’ fans who disrupted amateur matches before the Magpies’ clash with Wigan.

The Toon fans ruined two non-league games being played near Wigan Athletic’s DW Stadium by running on the pitches, dropping their trousers, ripping out nets and trying to break goals by swinging on the crossbars, a local official said.

Fans later boasted about the trouble they caused, including stealing a £65 match ball, on social networking sites.

Between 250 and 300 fans caused chaos after they got off coaches and wandered across to where Wigan Cosmos were playing AFC Leigh Centurions in the South Lancashire Counties League, a Cosmos spokesman said.

They then disrupted a match between Goose Green Reserves and Olympic AFC, he added, singing: “We’re Newcastle United, we’ll do what we want”.

The spokesman said the trouble lasted more than 40 minutes, was “very distasteful” and would cost the club around £200, which he said was a “significant debt” for the tiny club.

“The disrespect and hooliganism, dragging the good name of Newcastle United through the mud in such a disturbing manner is quite hard to accept,” he said.

“The fact that these same fans have taken to Twitter and YouTube to boast about the incident and in fact revelling in it, showing no signs of remorse, is possibly even more disturbing.

“Not only have they cost my football team a great deal of expense but they have shown a total disrespect to football itself.”

Today (Friday, March 22), a Newcastle United spokeswoman said the fans’ behaviour was “wholly unacceptable” and the club would reimburse Cosmos for the damage caused.

The club was very disappointed at the behaviour of a minority of fans, she said, and urged anyone who witnessed the incident to contact Greater Manchester Police.

Cosmos welcomed Newcastle United’s response.

Sunday's Premier League match, which Wigan won 2-1, was already controversial for a high tackle on Newcastle's Massaido Haidara by Callum McManaman, which went unpunished.