At one point in the second half, the game was threatened with being abandoned. But as far as Jed is concerned, once you are on the inside, your fellow hooligans will look after you. Stoke went on to win the game 2-1, watched by 14,000 spectators. A plank of wood, hurled down from the top tier onto innocent families below, was the final straw. Last season, Home Office figures showed Stoke City fans were the most arrested of any club in the country, with 80 supporters handcuffed in 2018-19. Trouble broke out despite a massive police operation mounted to prevent rival fans clashing during a key division two match. He said: "I know people that regularly used to go on reconnaissance missions weeks before the game so that they would know what pubs were there, the layout of the streets around the ground, if there was any waste ground near the ground, the layout of the ground itself.". The older guys and the top boys look after the young lads in match situations.". Jed has spent much of his adult life working doors in clubs and pubs but was never really into football or football violence. A day of vicious street fights in Dublin was fair game, according to one former football hooligan. Thursday, 2 May, 2002, 17:36 GMT 18:36 UK, ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------. He admits the thrill of the violence is addictive, describing it as "a pure adrenalin rush". Mark Chester believes the new version has laid down the gauntlet to other authors, Sign up NOW for your daily Stoke City newsletter straight to your inbox. The friend took him along to his first match and Jed soon realised that there was more to it all than just football. Stoke City has one of the most active and organised football hooligan firms in England. I am throwing down the gauntlet to other hooligan authors and it is some gauntlet. We travelled Europe a few years back with no trouble. He feels that the phenomenon of football firms is misunderstood by an hysterical media out of touch with the realities of working class male culture. Here are 10 dogs at Animal Lifeline in need of a family, For this weeks Give A Pet a Home, StokeOnTrentLive visited Animal Lifeline, These are the 21 Instagram accounts to follow if you love Staffordshire. Like drugs, it's far bigger than any government figure will ever tell you," he said. Staffordshire police are travelling to Wales in a bid to identify men they suspect were involved in violence during a game at Stoke City. But the thrill can become addictive, as Jed explained: "It took over a section of my life and there were some periods when I was more involved and wanted to go more often.". He explained: "He's taken them to live with him for a while to get them off the gear. "It's far more reaching than just making a phone call and knowing where to turn up on a Saturday morning, go have a row, get pissed and then leave again. The Daily Star's FREE newsletter is spectacular! Wanted: Hooligan suspects gallery. The game was stopped for 7 minutes as the police attempted to arrest Stoke hooligans in the ground. Why don't you come with me, we'll go into one of the side streets, see where we could find five or ten of them on their own.". I’m like a zombie...', Staffordshire Starbucks bans regular customer Wes after KKK comment to barista, Giant grenade to float over Stoke-on-Trent today so keep your eyes peeled, Saw-wielding woman cut OAP's ears and bit him as he rode mobility scooter in terrifying Hanley attack, Jane Rogers claimed she was having an 'out-of-body experience' when she grabbed the 65-year-old disabled man, bit him and cut him with the weapon, Investigations continue after two more Stoke-on-Trent barbers accused of breaking Covid rules, Stoke-on-Trent City Council is now investigating five barbers, No-show patients who miss two appointments are being kicked off the books at this North Staffordshire dentists, Surgeries have already been hit by fewer appointments during the coronavirus pandemic, 'He's playing extremely well' - Stoke City boss's post-Preston interview with first win chalked off, Michael O'Neill still not completely satisfied with performance at Deepdale, 'Just ask Nick Powell' - Stoke City boss's twice-weekly headaches keep players on edge.