A YOUNG Newport County fan was devastated after a Grimsby Town club director broke his supporter’s flag at Wednesday night’s play-off semi-final.

Exiles supporters say they watched in disbelief as John Fenty strode down the stand at Blundell Park and shouted at the schoolboy to stop waving his Black and Amber flag.

Witnesses said he then went back a second time and tore it from the boy’s hands, before breaking it into four pieces and discarding it near his seat – to the delight of cheering Grimsby fans.

Witnesses at the game, a 1-0 win to County, said Mr Fenty made the move after his team’s supporters repeatedly asked the boy to put the flag down. The boy initially lowered it but began excitedly waving it again later.

Newport County president David Hando said: “It was completely out of order and out of proportion.

“All he needed to do was to request the flag and say he could have it back at the end, but he didn’t, he snapped it not once but twice.”

Newport County declined to comment on the matter.

Mr Fenty said he first took the flag from the boy’s hand, rolled it up, gave it back to him, and asked him not to wave it.

“I went back to my seat thinking all was well, when to my dismay all of a sudden the flag was being waved again. I went to the front of the directors seating area and took the flag out of the hand of a lady who was beside the little boy.”

He added: “I deconstructed the flag to the point where it was safe and couldn’t be considered a danger.”

Mr Fenty said: “There was no intention to upset the boy.

“I think the adults could have handled themselves totally differently and defused the situation, and taken notice of the stewards and myself and none of this would have happened and nobody would have been upset.

“Directors should know better than to permit their guests to bring a flag with a stick into a football stadium. It is against ground regulations.”

The two teams meet again on Sunday at Rodney Parade at 4.30pm.

● Big match build up: pages 36, 37 and 40