A football match between two fierce rivals had to be abandoned after disorder broke out following a sending off.

The Spen Valley and District Association Football League has said a report has been sent to the West Riding FA after the referee abandoned the match between TVR United FC and Fairbank United FC on Saturday after fans encroached on to the pitch.

The two teams, who both play at Bingley Road Playing Fields, Zara Sports Centre, Thorn Lane, Heaton, have told the Telegraph & Argus they were willing to continue the match.

TVR secretary Asiq Iqbal said a rivalry has existed between the two teams since players from Fairbank United FC left to form their own team, TVR United FC.

He said the match was abandoned at the beginning of the second half, while TVR were winning 5-0, after Fairbank’s captain was sent off and walked off towards the TVR fans.

He said: “I don’t know why, he should have gone off the other side.

“It was a bit of a disaster for us because we were five nil up.”

“There was no fighting or anything like that, there was just a lot of commotion going on for nothing.”

Fairbank secretary Arif Waseem said the referee directed the player off to the side of the pitch where the TVR fans were when he sent him off.

He said: “There was a little bit of verbals between a TVR player and the player who got sent off.”

“We sent someone from our end of the pitch to the TVR end of the pitch where all this was going on --- there was a big group surrounding our player and he disappeared from view so we were a bit worried for his safety.

“A couple of our spectators encroached on to the pitch, wondering what was going on and walked towards where this was happening.”

Mr Waseem said while a rivalry existed between the two teams, there was never any violence or nastiness between the opposing fans or players.

He said: “There’s rivalry but I would call it more mutual respect to be honest.

“They were part of our title winning team two years ago and they have gone for their own reasons.

“It was a derby game but there’s nothing nasty between us.

“I’m just confused as to why the referee abandoned it in the first place, there was no reason to abandon it.”