Gardaí investigate attack on Waterford manager

Gardaí have launched an investigation into soccer supporters who threw bricks and stones at the car of a manager.

The incident occurred last night outside Dalymount Park in Dublin after Bohemians had drawn 2-2 with Waterford United.

A group of Bohemians supporters began shouting abuse at the Waterford United player manager Alan Reynolds when the match had finished.

Mr Reynolds, who had previously played with Bohemian’s arch rivals Shamrock Rovers, made his way to his car three quarters of an hour later but was followed by the supporters.

They began throwing stones at his car as he drove out of the side road and one supporter lined up with a brick.

“He tried to throw it through the driver’s window of my car but I put the foot down and it went through the back seat window instead,” said Mr Reynolds.

“If it had hit me, I would have definitely hit someone on the road because the side road beside Dalymount Park is very narrow.”

The player-manager, who was appointed to the job in February after spells with Shamrock Rovers, Cork city and Longford Town, praised the response of the Bohemians management to the attack.

“I went back to Bohemians afterwards and they were great. The manager Stephen Kenny even offered me his own car.”

But he said he was very disappointed about what had happened.

“There’s no place for it in football. It’s only cowards who will do that. But I am certainly going to continue (as player manager). They won’t pull me away from that.”

In May, the eircom League introduced new safety procedures for match officials, after a referee’s assistant was assaulted during a match in Drogheda. Fair play officials are already a regular feature during all matches.

A spokesman for the League said the attack on Mr Reynold’s car was outside the match grounds and was a matter for the Gardaí.

But he added that the League would consider the provision of protection for managers after matches.