BLACKBURN and Newcastle’s FA Cup tie was stopped mid-match after fans staged a protest on the pitch.
Players on both sides were forced to step in as tennis balls were hurled from the stands onto the field of play.
The incident occurred around 15 minutes into Tuesday’s FA Cup clash at Ewood Park.
Blackburn and Newcastle were both competing for supremacy when a hail of tennis balls entered the field.
Around 15 to 20 were hurled from the corner of the Ronnie Clayton Blackburn End by home fans.
It appeared the balls were thrown onto the pitch to protest Blackburn’s owners.
The BBC claims chants of “We want Venky’s out” could be heard in some sections of the stadium at the time.
Players from both teams came together to clear the pitch.
It took several minutes for the balls to be either picked up or kicked into the sides.
And the two sides breathed a sigh of relief as the ref deemed it safe to play on.
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Neither group of players wanted to be standing around for long.
That’s because kick-off had already been delayed for 15 minutes due to problems at the turnstiles.
Newcastle fans struggled to enter Ewood Park in time for the original 7.45pm start.
And the game was pushed back to 8pm to accommodate those who had made the long trip from the north-east.
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