This is Staffordshire --LITTLE Freya Clarke has been left too scared to watch her beloved Port Vale in action – after she was punched by a rowdy away fan during the first home game of the season.
The eight-year-old was at Vale Park with her dad Jason to cheer on their team as they slumped to a 2-1 defeat against Walsall.
But as the pair left the stadium, the University Academy Kidsgrove pupil was knocked to the floor.
Freya, below, told her dad she had been hit in the face and was left with a bruised eye and was shaken.
She is now refusing to go to any more matches because she is too frightened to walk among large crowds. The season ticket-holder will miss Port Vale's home clash against Bradford City this afternoon.
Jason, of Whitehall Avenue, Kidsgrove, has written to both Walsall and Port Vale to ask for an apology.
Staffordshire Police and Vale have now a joint investigation into the incident on August 6.
The 42-year-old said: "We were in Tommy Cheadle's before the match and Freya was quite happy playing football with the other children and she was fine at the match.
"But afterwards, we were walking to the car where my wife Angela was picking us up and a group of eight or nine men aged between 20 and 40 came walking towards us.
"All of a sudden Freya dropped to the floor and started screaming. I picked her up and asked her what had happened and she told me she had been punched in the face. She had a red mark under her eye and she was in a state but by the time I got her up the men had gone."
Jason said Freya, who was to upset to talk about her ordeal, was already nervous of strangers after a failed abduction attempt a year ago when a man tried to get her into his car.
He added: "We are both season ticket holders and nothing like this has ever happened before.
"We have even been to a few Tottenham matches in the past and we have never had any trouble.
"It's unfair that Freya is now scared of walking in crowds just because some mindless idiot chooses to do this. I know the club can't be held responsible for the actions of fans, but I want people to know what has happened."
Pete Aston, football liaison officer for Staffordshire Police, said: "We have, together with our colleagues at Port Vale, been to visit the girl and her parents.
"We have taken more details of the incident and will review this information, together with CCTV to establish exactly what happened. The family are fully supportive of this action.
"Staffordshire Police treats every football game in the county as an individual operation. The appropriate level of policing and stewarding is determined in conjunction with the club."
A Port Vale spokesman said: "The club is aware of the incident and our club safety officer has visited the family as part of an ongoing investigation with Staffordshire Police.
"Port Vale Football Club does not condone violence in any way and we regret that this incident has happened."
A Walsall Football Club spokesman added: "We have received a letter from Mr and Mrs Clarke and have now responded. We are investigating this incident and taking the matter extremely seriously." Reported by This is 23 hours ago.