I SAT and watched in utter disbelief and with sadness as violence erupted within five minutes of Bishop Auckland's FA Trophy third round tie at Burton Albion's Eton Park getting under way.

Stewards and then police moved in to restore an uneasy peace and at half-time some of the warring factions tried to switch ends, swaggering onto the pitch during the half-time break after it had been announced that fans would not be allowed to move from behind the goal.

In a final act of defiance, the game was held up for the first time with 15 minutes remaining when a few decided to wander onto the pitch.

It is difficult to comprehend why such scenes should be witnessed at the unlikely setting of a non-league ground.

Why people should spend money on travelling with the intent of causing trouble, and no doubt large amounts on drink, beggars belief.

When you are not directly involved it's never quite so bad, but to the ordinary football fan, with or without children, to be confronted by violence is frightening.

When it happens in the tight confines of a football ground, the innocent aren't concerned about the background to the trouble. All they know that it is happening.

It is still open to conjecture as to who was responsible for the trouble. There is evidence that Combat 18 was involved, having left its calling card at the town centre public house which was trashed.

It has also been suggested that the perpetrators were local to the North-East.

But there are some inescapable facts. Burton Albion will pick up the police bill, the name of Bishop Auckland has already been dragged through the mud and Burton could face the music from the FA because the tie was held up during the second-half, not to mention the damage caused to shops and a pub in the brewery town.

Whatever the facts, and may be no one will find the truth, it is the game and honest, hard-working club officials who will suffer.

Surprisingly, only three arrests were made but that doesn't guarantee anyone will be charged even though video cameras filmed the trouble. Anyone found guilty of an offence should be banned from football grounds for life.