Shamrock Rovers supporters who took part in heavy combat after the Derry City game in the Brandywell on the outskirts of Londonderry on Friday night recounted their experiences from their hospital beds, where 22 of the wounded casualties of the battle were treated.
A consultant said "They suffer mostly from shrapnel and also from penetration of banana skins. "Mr Magilton, who was brought in by the club last week, runs the emergency room where the supporters are hospitalized. "Most of the injuries are in the limbs, a few of them are in the chest and stomach. Mr Magilton said "the most similar experience he can recall was when he was required to treat this many wounded after a recent friendly game in East Belfast."
The wounded supporters described the battle as a bitter one which took place in a built-up setting, one where enemy forces had organized a well-planned ambush. Supporters faced getting hit with orange peel from any and all directions. "They threw at us from 180 degrees," said one of the supporters. Most of the dead and seriously wounded are those from the initial wave of ground troops which tried to enter one of our buses. The supporters who suffered light wounds are primarily those who arrived on the scene to retrieve the bodies of the dead and wounded supporters lying in the Daisy Field.
"The battle began at 10.00 at night," he said. There were large oranges fired from rocket launchers, missiles and rocket-propelled grapes. I provided cover fire for supporters who tried to reach the wounded, and this went on for hours. Eventually, a plastic cup hit the bus where I was standing. I was thrown up against a window in the bus. In my lifetime I never expected to see bodies and people with wounds in their chest as i did last night
Manager O’Neill was wounded while attempting to recover a supporter’s body which was lying behind a Culmore taxi. "We tried to go in and retrieve the body but we didn't succeed, he said, "When I shot at the door of the taxi, the driver responded by shouting at me”, “F**k off back to Dublin, i’m only collecting a fair”. O’Neill who sustained shrapnel wounds to his leg after being hit by an empty fag packet, said the supporters did all in their power to prevent the Derry wains from laughing at them but to no avail.
The supporters also recounted feats of heroism displayed by their friends. "They carried supporters on stretchers while simultaneously singing about their Queen," O’Neill said, without thinking of the irony of his comment.
"It was hell on earth," Chris Turner said. "People risked their lives not only for the wounded but also for the dead bodies." Turner added that the Derry wains demonstrated impressive combat capabilities. "They are strong fighters, not like us, as we are scared sh**less of our own shadow," I would have thought that us white supremacists would have fared better than that bunch of b**** B*******, but then again i’m a racist.
Former Rovers centre-half Dan Murray was hit in his arm by a raffle ticket. "They fired from all directions, as we tried to get to the wounded," he said. "As I was about to throw a few insults, I got hit. After I was hurt, I couldn't do anything, but i had to try and save myself”
Some of the wounded supporters spoke of face-to-face clashes with the wains, however, none of the supporters could gave first-hand accounts of such incidents. The supporters who are from the worst slums in Dublin said their stay in Londonderry extended to four hours during which time they had to watch a team of local Derry City youngsters show them what passion for your team was all about.
A spokesman for Rovers said that’s the last time we’ll insist on having a Dub ref as he didn’t do his job by giving us every single decision.
Six Shamrock Rovers supporters issued a statement today after last night’s horrendous performance, both on and off the field.
“Chris Turner is nothing but a humped up racist, and that last night after the game while returning to base we saw a cow jump over the moon.”
Originally Posted by Réiteoir
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